Mobile Suit Gundam 0084: The Last Sons of Delaz
by Zinegata
Summary: The One Year War maybe over in paper, but not all have accepted its end. One such man is Zeon Captain Ming Chow- Where will his quest for vengeance take him? (Sequel to The Forgotten Fleet)
1. Chapter 1: The Remnants

Hello, I'm back again and here's the prologue and first chapter of my new fic. Though it's meant to be a sequel for the Forgotten Fleet, it can be read independently if you wish although I personally believe it would be more enjoyable to read my first fic first:). Again, it's not a requirement to watch 0083 to enjoy this fic(which I haven't, yet:D really!), though knowing more about the Titans, Axis, Delaz and Operation Stardust will generally make it more enjoyable:). Sorry if it took a while(been playing that old EGA classic Pirates! hehe) Anyway, on to the fic!  
-  
Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story 0084: The Last Sons of Delaz  
  
Prologue  
  
It is 0083. Three years since the end of the great tragedy. Three years since the end of the One Year War. Three years since the once great Duchy of Zeon surrendered to the might of the Earth Federation. It has been accepted by almost all in the Earth Sphere. Except by one man and his followers... His name: Aguille Delaz.  
  
For three years, he plotted, waging his own guerilla war with his ragtag fleet. But it was not enough. Not enough to complete his true goal: the resurrection of Zeon. And so he sought out ways to further his goal. And on Ocotber 13, UC 0083, a way was found.  
-  
Major Anavel Gato looked around the the cockpit of his newly "liberated" Mobile Suit. A Federation designed cockpit to be sure, but he had been trained to operate their machines as well, and now their greatest weapon will also become their greatest downfall... He took a deep breathe, before declaring with all his drive and might, "I claim this Mobile Suit and its nuclear warhead. Zeon will rise again!"  
-  
And so it began, Operation Stardust. The last great attempt to ressurect the true glory of Zeon. Delaz's sons fought on bravely, laying waste to the Federal Fleet, despite the tremendous losses they would suffer. But it was not to be in vain, as finally, on November 13, UC 0083.  
-  
A GM Kai pilot guarding the now wrecked Solar System II could only watch. They had failed, and destiny had just about run its course. The huge metal cylinder began to glow as it closed on the blue sphere seemingly floating in space. The blue sphere was Earth, target once again of a Zeon colony drop. The Earth's protective atmosphere tried to burn away the huge colony before it hit, but with something that massive, it was in vain. The colony impacted in the continent of North America, sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky and devastating the agricultural heart land of America. Despite his shock, the lone GM pilot managed to speak out loud, to describe the horror of what had just happened for the rest of the Federal fleet...  
  
"The colony... crashed on Earth... we lost..."  
-  
Victory. Or was it?  
-  
"The duration of your fleet's stay has expired," the commander of the Federal Fleet monitoring the Axis Advance Fleet reminded, "Leave at once! Or do you wish to engage in battle with us?!"  
  
"We are ending the retrieval operation!" the Axis fleet commander ordered. He had to leave now, even if Major Gato had not yet returned. His ship slowly began to turn around, much to the dismay of the survivors who had been brought on board.  
  
"Wait sir, please wait five more minutes!" one of the survivors pleaded, but the commander was not listening, and the ship was now slowly steaming away from the battle area, "Please wait!" -  
For a bitter cost had to be paid. Some of Delaz's sons managed to reach the safety of the Axis fleet sent to recover them, before it was forced to leave. Most however, were left behind. Left behind at the mercy of the Earth Federation. Nearly all of them would die, preferring death to capture...  
  
But there were a few who survived. The last of Delaz's sons. The few who had managed to slip out of the closing Federal net. The few who were still willing to continue their fight for spacenoid independence. A few who now sought ways to join with others who shared the same cause. One of them, was the Zeon ace pilot Captain Ming Chow...  
  
Partly through skill, mainly through luck, he and a few other survivors managed to slip pass the Federation blockade that had surrounded them. No longer safe in the "Garden of Thorns" that had once been their base, nor their former homeland at Side 3, they now made their way to the Lunar city of Von Braun, hoping to find allies to assist in their quest to join their bretheren in Axis in the asteroid belt, now the home of the remnants of the Zeon military. The problem was, the Federal fleet was still hunting them, and they would not stop until they were caught. For a new order, a new form of tyranny, was about to be born.  
-  
Chapter 1: The Remnants  
  
Nov. 24, UC 0083 Shoal zone, somewhere just outside Moon orbit  
  
Eleven days, Zeon Captain Ming Chow thought as his group of survivors arrived at their last fuel depot. Eleven days since their glorious defeat of the Federal navy, followed by eleven days of hiding and running from those that he had been sworn to kill. Those who had killed nearly everybody he had known for the past three years, except for the Lieutenants Jake Stark and Dan O'hara in their Zaku IIs as well as a few other survivors who had escaped using their damaged Kommusai escape shuttle. He growled quietly at that. He knew it was important to carry on, but he sometimes wished that he had gone down with them. Going down taking as many of them to hell with him as Major Gato had done. But dead men couldn't kill more Feddies, could they?  
  
"Captain sir, the Kommusai's refuelling is done. We're starting with Jake and Dan's Zakus now," Sixty five year old Seargent Herbert Gaston reported as he pulled himself uneasily into Ming's cockpit. One of the oldest men in the Delaz fleet, his expert mechanical skills made him a great asset despite his age, "You look real tired sir," he observed.  
  
"I'll sleep when we get to safety," he replied, "How are the boys in the Kommusai?"  
  
"They're doing okay sir," Herbert replied, "But maybe we ought to have ditched that thing a while back," he suggested. He had already suggested it before when they had discovered that it was too damaged to make an atmospheric re-entry or to travel at high speeds, but Ming had insisted.  
  
"And how will we carry the rest of the crew out?" Ming asked with a frown. Not again old timer...  
  
"My old crew and I escaped from Solomon by hanging on a cable attached to a Zaku," Herbert reminded, "Although I AM getting too old to hold on for long..."  
  
"Not this time, we're only two hours to Von Braun City. And I'm sure we can find somebody to help us," Ming countered. He wasn't actually sure there would be anybody who would help them on the Lunar city of Von Braun, but Lunarians were split in their loyalties, and any other "safe" destination was impractical. Side 3, their former homeland, was too well garrisoned, while it was impossible to reach the resistance forces on Earth with the severely damaged Kommusai. In war, bad choices were often the best.  
  
"Fine sir," Herbert replied grudgingly, "But let's get your Rick Dom II refuelled it's almost out," Thank God, Herbert thought, that the Delaz fleet had established several fuel and ammunition depots throughout the shoal zone to help refuel and rearm their scattered guerilla forces. And it was equally fortunate that the Feddies had not discovered the majority of them yet. They would have been literally dead in space without them.  
-  
"Looks like we've found ourselves some action after all..." Lieutenant Ivan Romanov reported from his GM Kai with a grin as he saw the small group of Zeon survivors off in the distance, busy refuelling a Dom-type. After the pounding they had given Earth almost two weeks ago, he was almost too happy to find some worthless spacenoids to kill, even if he was just a rookie.  
  
"Don't get too eager," his CO, Captain Sylvie Gressier, reminded coldly. Unlike the other three members of her squad, she was a One Year War veteran who had seen combat many times during the war. Far too many times. And she knew that being too eager often got stupid kids killed.  
  
"Yes mam," Ivan replied in an equally cold tone. Don't tell me to do what to do you spacenoid, he thought but did not say out loud. Born and raised on Earth, he had been taught to be suspicious of the rebellious people who now resided in the giant colonies orbitting Earth. Even if she was a OYW veteran.  
  
"What do we do Captain?" 2nd Lietenant Jin Lee asked as he pulled his GM Cannon II just behind Sylvie's GM Custom, a GM Kai pilotted by his wingman Terry Eddington right behind him. Though Jin was also a rookie like his squad mates, his impressive shooting skills landed him in the prestigious spot as a GM Cannon II pilot. A limited edition, heavily armored, artillery Mobile Suit, its only problem was its rather poor maneuverability. Something that Jin was worried about now that he was facing veteran Zeon pilots.  
  
Captain Gressier considered the situation for a moment. Her squad was composed entirely of rookies, while the enemy was most certainly composed of veteran, probably elite, pilots. But then she was also considered as an elite pilot too, and she had a GM Custom in her hands. Another limited editon GM whose maneuverability and beam weaponry was almost equal to that of the OYW's legendary Gundam...  
  
"I'm going to get'm!" Ivan suddenly declared as he started charging the enemy, his 90mm machine gun drawn. Enough waiting! he thought, I still have Zeekss to kill...  
  
"Ivan, get back here!" Sylvie ordered angrily, but Ivan was not listening. Oh great, one more letter to send... But she couldn't just let that arrogant prick die could she? "Jin! Take down that Kommusai and give us some cover. Terry, follow me!"  
-  
"Oh crap! We've got company!" Dan warned as he saw a GM Kai heading straight for him, closely followed by the rest of its squad.  
  
"Get that Kommusai moving right now!" Ming ordered quickly as he turned to face the enemy. His decision proved wise as a pair of beams narrowly missed the Kommusai. But they had been spotted, and after what they had done he was sure it would be raining enemy units very soon... Damn it! he thought, we've come so close...  
  
"Bad luck sir..." Herbert said as he pulled himself into the Rick Dom II's cockpit. It was cramped as it was not designed to take two people, but it would take far too long for him to get back to the Kommusai, and he did not live that long just to throw his life away needlessly.  
  
"Yeah, but we're not going down without a fight!" Ming shouted as he pulled out his 360mm bazooka. Only three shots left, but he was not an ace for nothing. He quickly took aim at the lead GM Kai and depressed the trigger. Hit.  
-  
"Damn Zeek!" Ivan grumbled as the controls around him went dead. He grimaced as he saw one of the enemy Zakus heading for him, but before it could reach him a beam sliced off its leg. A second shot took out the other leg as the Zaku began to float helplessly in space, powerless.  
  
"Lieutenant Romanov this is why you should ing wait!" Sylvie reprimanded angrily as she interposed her GM between Ivan and the enemy. If they wanted to get him, she thought, they'll have to go through me first... "Jin, come on, take down that Kommusai!"  
  
"I'm having some difficulty, it's evading mam," Jin replied nervously as his second volley missed as well. Damn, he thought, this had never happened in the simulations...  
  
"Great..." Sylvie muttered. Looks like I'm going to have to take'm all by myself now, she thought, "Terry, cover Ivan, I'll try to chase them down..."  
-  
"Come on Jake! We have to help out Dan!" Ming ordered as he prepared to square off with the approaching GM Custom.  
  
"Sir, shouldn't we be..." Jake started.  
  
"We don't leave behind anyone, understand?" Ming declared angrily. Jake was the type of person who cared more about himself than others. Far more for himself. Something that angered Ming since they had started working together. But he had to trust him now, as he evaded a beam fired by the GM...  
  
Miss... Sylvie thought, and there are two of them. Great. She quickly aimed and fired at the Rick Dom II, missing again, but this time the Dom fired back, it shell just barely missing her GM's head.  
  
"I think Jake may be right Captain..." Herbert advised as he saw the second shot miss, "One shot left. If we don't get out of here..."  
  
"I know Herbert!" Ming interrupted angrily. But he didn't want to leave anyone behind. There were so few of them now, and he couldn't, wouldn't, let anybody else die... "Jake, cover me, I'm going to..."  
  
Suddenly a pair of massive beams shot pass just left of his Rick Dom II, fired by the artillery type GM supporting the Federation force. It was followed by a massive explosion behind Ming, and when he turned, he saw that the Kommusai was gone...  
  
"Ming, lookout!" Jake warned as the GM fired a beam straight at Ming. It seemed as if the beam would hit him, but at the last second his Rick Dom shot straight up, evading the beam.  
  
"Jake, let's go..." Ming ordered quietly. His quest to save one of them had cost almost everyone else's lives now. Those Federation s...  
  
"Yes sir," Jake replied quickly as he fired off the last of his 120mm shells. About time, he thought.  
-  
Well, Jin pulled through after all... Sylvie thought as she began to pursue the two remaining Zeon Mobile Suits. With no more Kommusai to come home to, they would probably run out of fuel and ammunition very soon on their own. But with Von Braun so close, she had to make sure...  
  
"Ivan, what are you doing?!" Terry suddenly asked in a panicked voice over the radio. Sylvie quickly turned around, what was that Ivan...  
  
"Eat this, Zeon scum," Ivan declared in an evil, almost possesed voice as he fired his 90mm machine gun at the disabled Zaku. Its pilot was just about to scream out to say something, but before he could half a dozen 90mm shells impacted its cockpit, killing the pilot instantly...  
  
"IVAN!" Sylvie shouted angrily. He had just killed a helpless prisoner. What sort of monster would do that? She quickly headed for Ivan's GM Kai. The kid definitely needed someone to check his head.  
-  
"They're not pursuing us?" Herbert asked as turned and saw only empty space behind him.  
  
"Don't complain Herbert," Jake advised, "What do we do now Captain?"  
  
"We continue on to Von Braun," Ming replied quietly. And there, he hoped, he could find a way to get his revenge.  
--------------------------- Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	2. Chapter 2: Meetings

Chapter 2 done, and well... it does seem everybody like Max the best:). Thanks for the answers! Oh, and sorry if I posted a little late, but jumps up and down in glee they're showing Gundam X here now in the Philippines(hooray! I just hope they finally start showing UC Gundam once X is done) and I was kinda waiting to finish watching it before posting the fic, hehe:D  
  
Chapter 2: Meetings  
  
Nov. 25, UC 0083 EF Lunar Fleet Flagship, EFSFS Warspite  
  
"I am very disatisfied with your performance, CAPTAIN," Lieutenant General Nicolo Zander warned as Sylvie finished her report, "Particularly your complaints about Lieutenant Romanov."  
  
"Sir, he's dangerous," Sylvie countered coldy, wishing again she had a different CO other than this racist moron, "He SHOT a helpless prisoner, we can't just..."  
  
"The prisoner's fate would have been no different," Nicolo replied equally coldly, "I suggest that you modify your report, as I am considering sending Ivan to a new elite unit that would suit his higher standards better."  
  
Higher standards? Sylvie thought. B! Ivan was the worst pilot in her team unless Terry was having a bad day, and the only thing special about him was his connections to high ranking officials on Earth. "I beg to differ sir," she declared firmly.  
  
"Too bad then, I guess you won't be screening for promotion this year..." Nicolo said almost with a grin. Come on Sylvie, be your old defiant self, so I have one less spacenoid on the roster... "Once I emphasize the fact that you let two enemy Mobile Suits escape..."  
  
"Don't think you could blackmail me into giving Ivan a good record, SIR," Sylvie replied angrily. Fine! Send my career down the toilet, but I'm NOT letting that nutcase...  
  
"Fine then Captain, fine..." Nicolo replied with an evil grin. Good report or not, Ivan WOULD be transferred to the new unit once it got formed, where Nicolo was sure he'd do a good job. Not Captain Gressier though. Now he had all he needed to get rid of that meddling Captain.  
-  
"ARGH! That damn ing moron!" Sylvie shouted angrily as she entered the wardroom, the rest of her team with the exception of Ivan waiting inside.  
  
"Calm down Captain, you'll give yourself a heart attack..." Jin said comfortingly as Sylvie sat down on a chair, noisily as she vented her frustrations on the cushions she was sitting on.  
  
"Sometimes, I wish I did have one. Then I'd finally be dead..." Sylvie muttered to herself quietly. She had lost everyone she loved during the war three years ago, including the one dearest to her. And she couldn't even admit it to him... admit it to him just before he died... Now leading a lonely existence, she felt as if she was now just biding time until she died. And she often wished that it would be soon.  
  
"What was that Captain?" Terry asked as he heard Sylvie muttering to herself. She did do that quite often, he thought, though she never...  
  
"Nothing," Sylvie replied quietly, now calming down, "Ivan's being transferred to an elite unit, though Nicolo didn't mention any details."  
  
"At least he won't bother us anymore more,' Jin replied with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, but Nicolo's gonna flush my career down the toilet for letting those two escape," Sylvie explained with a sigh. All she had left was the military, and that moron was going to take that away from her too. Bd.  
  
"Captain, it wasn't your fault, if Ivan hadn't..." Terry started.  
  
"Thanks guys, but I don't think that'll help," Sylvie replied in a resigned tone, "We'll probably get reassigned to some mundane post after this..." Damn, if only she had chased after those two, maybe.  
-  
"Damn all these patrols..." Ming muttered to himself as a he spotted a third group of GMs circling around Von Braun city. Security had been beefed up considerably, probably because of a small battle that had occured here a few days ago, and he and the rest of the survivors had been forced to keep their distance, lest they be spotted.  
  
"An awful lot of junk around here..." Herbert observed as he looked around their positions, "Looks like this is where that force Cima sent to get that Val Varo got beat..."  
  
"Don't remind me of that traitor," Ming replied coldly. That treacherous Cima, he thought, murderer of General Delaz. If only she had stayed on with their side, then perhaps the fleet might have escaped Operation Stardust relatively unscathe. It was extremely gratifying to him to have seen her die at the hands of a Federation Mobile Armor, one that was supposed to be her "ally"...  
  
"Captain, I've spotted something at bearing 2-1-3," Jake reported, "I think it's a salvage group... Oh ! I think they're heading this way!"  
  
Ming turned to the reported bearing and indeed saw what seemed like a salvage party heading for their postions. Composed of two Pods and what looked like a a stripped down GM, parts of which had been cannibalized from other machines. They would be no match to his team if they tried to fight, but most likely they'd raise the alarm and...  
  
"What do we do now sir?" Jake asked, worried. Come on... he thought, let's get out of here.  
"I got it..." Ming declared as he snapped his fingers, "They'll be our ticket into Von Braun..."  
  
"Sir?" Jake and Herbert asked together. He wasn't thinking of.  
-  
"I'm a little uneasy about this..." one of the Pod pilots muttered to his boss riding in the salvaged GM, "I mean, Mr. Arnold sir, we knew Kelly and..."  
  
"Look, salvaging is our job, and part of the money will go to Lateura. She's still broken hearted you know," Arnold replied quietly. Poor Kelly, he thought, if only he had just settled down with her... Though he was himself a former Zeon Colonel, he had learned that their cause was not all that worth fighting for.  
  
"I'm more worried about those Zeon rebels," the second Pod pilot commented, "The EF spotted a few lurking around the Moon yesterday..."  
  
"Maybe I know one of them..." Arnold replied quietly, trying to remember all of his former comrades that had joined Delaz. Most were probably dead now, he knew, after the small shooting war that happened a few weeks ago. A war that Federal officials were working hard to deny that it ever happened... "But it's very unlikely that..."  
  
"Salvage team, keep quiet or we will kill you all," a cold, but seemingly familiar voice suddenly ordered over the radio. A pair of Zeon Mobile Suits suddenly appeared right in front of the salvage team.  
  
"Who... who are you?" the first Pod pilot asked nervously. Oh ! What have we...  
  
"I am a Captain of Zeon's Delaz Fleet, don't try anything and we'll let you live," Ming ordered, aiming his 90mm Machine Gun at the lead Pod. He really hoped they would play ball, as in reality they were completely out of ammunition, "We need to get into Von Braun and..."  
  
"Why didn't you just ask nicely, Ming?" Arnold asked as he recognized the voice, "Especially with that empty gun of yours..."  
  
"Colonel Jefferson?" Ming asked in an astonished voice. Jefferson had been his CO during the war, and it couldn't be... the odds were just too...  
  
"Call me Arnold from now on," Jefferson replied with a grin, "It's been a while, old friend..."  
-  
"What's taking that salvage team?" the tower control officer in Von Braun asked, "They haven't called back, and they should have reached the wreck site by now."  
  
"Maybe they're taking their time sir," his aide suggested.  
  
"And maybe they've run into trouble," he replied more firmly, "Do we have any patrols close enough to take a look?" he inquired.  
  
"The 3rd MS squad is on its way back now sir, but they could probably take a quick check if you want..." the aide reported as he flicked through the computer records, "They won't be too happy though... you sure you want them to check it out?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," the officer ordered wearily. Probably just another wild goose chase, he thought, but high command would sack him if any of those rebels managed to escape.  
-  
"Umm... boss, aren't we breaking some sort of rule here?" one of the Pod pilots started. Though both Pod pilots were also former Zeon soldiers, much of their military experience had been diluted by civilian life, and they were very reluctant to give it up.  
  
"Look, trust me guys," Jefferson replied calmly, "He's a friend, and if we get caught I'll take the blame, alright?"  
  
"Thank you sir," Ming replied quietly.  
  
"I told you I'm not army anymore, so cut out that sir crap," Jefferson replied sternly, "Now get ready to ditch your Mobile Suits, we'll never be able to sneak them into Von Braun..."  
  
"But si..." Ming started before stopping himself, "I mean Arnold, it's the last of our combat equipment, we won't be able to continue the fight if..."  
  
"Begging your pardon sir," Jake interrupted, "But our fight is finished. It's been finished since ten days ago, I say we cover our es first before we think about combat..."  
  
"I didn't ask for your opinion LIEUTENANT," Ming replied sternly.  
  
"But he IS right," Hebert added, "If we don't go now some damn Feddie patrol will..."  
  
"Spoke too soon Herb..." Jake warned, ", here comes a patrol..."  
  
"I can hide three men," Jefferson warned, "But not two Mobile Suits. Are you confident you can beat the whole Von Braun garrison Ming?"  
  
"Fine..." Ming agreed grudgingly, I just hope we can make it in time... -  
"Salvage team 1, this is 3rd MS Team, please respond," the squad leader hailed over the radio. And once again, there was no response. Great, what the hell was happening with those guys...  
  
"Damn, I'm going to be late for our meeting again..." one of the GM Kai pilots muttered.  
  
"You've been dating her for two years now Peter," the squad leader remarked jokingly, "Why don't you propose to her already?"  
  
"I AM going to propose to her today sir," the pilot replied rather in an annoyed tone, "But I've been so damn busy after those Zeeks..."  
  
"Yeah, nearly turned us to ashes at that naval review. Boy am I glad we were late back then," the squad leader replied with a chuckle. It had been one scary experience back then, and he was extremely glad to be alive, "Why don't you try calling'm Pete?"  
  
"Yes sir," Peter responded, "Salvage team 1, this is 3rd MS Team, please respond..."  
  
"Salvage team 1 here, we copy," a voice replied.  
  
"Gee, glad to hear you Salvage team 1, any problems out there?" the squad leader inquired.  
  
"No, we just had some communication difficulties, sorry we failed to check in," the voice responded, "We'll be returning to Von Braun soon."  
  
"Do you need an escort on the way back? There are some Zeon stragglers spotted around this area," the squad leader advised.  
  
"No, we'll be done soon, and I doubt they'd blast a pair of helpless Pods and a busted GM just for fun..."  
  
"Yeah, but you know them, they're a bunch of butchers sometimes..." the squad leader continued as he checked his fuel gauge. It was almost empty... "Alright, we'll just report your position to tower command, and wish you on a safe return..."  
  
"Thank you 3rd MS, appreciate it..." the voice replied before signing off.  
  
"Alright Pete! Let's get you to your destiny!" the squad leader declared with a grin.  
-  
"US!? BUTCHERS!? They're the damn..." Ming started as Herbert let go of his mouth.  
  
"Calm down sir..." Herbert started, glad that he had shut his Captain up in the conversation minutes ago just in time, "After the hell we'd been raising you can't expect them to..."  
  
"Shut up Herbert! Even though you're old I'm still..." Ming started again, his anger rising.  
  
"Ming, stop it!" Jefferson ordered angrily. Damn, hasn't he learned anything in the past four years? he thought, he was still his revenge obsessed self... "If Herbert didn't shut your big trap you'd be under arrest right now. You're a Captain! Use your head!"  
  
THAT calmed Ming down. Military or not, he still respected Jefferson. ! he thought, I really screwed up back then... "Sorry about that Herbert... I guess the lack of sleep is getting to me..."  
  
"Tell me about it sir..." Herbert replied with a grin, "I'm over sixty, I need sleep more than you do..."  
  
"Good," Jefferson declared, "Now let's get to Von Braun. I'd really like to know what happened out there..."  
  
"Don't you know sir?" Ming asked, surprised. After all that they'd done, surely...  
  
"There's nothing on the official news," Jefferson explained, "In fact, all they are saying is that a major group of Zeon rebels had been annihilated."  
  
"What about the attack on the naval review? Or the colony drop?" Ming asked, almost desperately. Don't tell me that those s had covered up the truth about them too...  
  
"Some people heard about those news Ming," Jefferson replied grimly, "But most just discount it as rumors... In fact, the only bad news we have had for the past couple of weeks is a food shortage on Earth..."  
-  
Manila, The Philippines  
  
"The price of rice has gone up, AGAIN..." John Recto, a former Federation officer now turned museum curator, declared as he entered the house, his arms full of groceries, "They say something happened to the food supplies of North America..."  
  
"I've heard rumors about that too John," Cynthia asked worriedly to her husband, "Do you think the rumors are true?"  
  
"Maybe, but Sylvie and the rest of my old friends in the military haven't written to me about anything yet..." John replied as he put the groceries down the table, before walking to hold Cynthia's hand. She smiled and led it to her growing stomach. He smiled as well as he felt the new life growing within it.  
  
"Then let's hope it's really just nothing..." Cynthia continued for him, "So in two months..."  
  
"Yeah, I know..." John replied with a smile. May life remain peaceful as it is.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	3. Chapter 3: Fugitives

Chapter 3: Fugitives  
  
"Hello big brother! Missed me?" Mei Li asked as she started running towards Ming.  
  
Ming smiled at his little sister. Now a beautiful young lady of nineteen years of age, she was the only family he had left, and the one that he cared about the most. He was so glad that Zeon had finally won... He started running towards her as well...  
  
But suddenly, a shot wrang out, and Mei Li's expression quickly changed from one of happiness to one of pain and shock, the life in her eyes irrevocably knocked out of them. She quickly fell face down on the ground, a pool of blood spreading from her unmoving body... And Ming could only scream.  
-  
Nov. 28, UC 0083 Lunar City of Von Braun  
  
"Ming! Wake up! Ming!" Jefferson ordered in as a forceful a voice as he could. But Ming wouldn't stop. He just kept screaming and thrashing around his bunk. If they didn't stop him he'd probably hurt himself soon...  
  
"Try this Arnold..." Herbert advised as he picked up a pitcher of water. Oh , those damn nightmares again...  
  
"Thanks chief," Jefferson replied as Herbert passed him the pitcher. He knew Ming had been badly traumatized by the death of his entire family during the war, but it had never been this bad before. Except that he had become obsessed with killing his enemy that is... In one quick motion Jefferson splashed the entire pitcher's contents into Ming's face, sending Ming quickly back to the real world.  
  
"Wha... wha..." Ming stammered as he began to try to shake the water off his head. Mei Li? he thought... what... what happened...  
  
"Another nightmare sir?" Herbert asked quietly.  
  
Ming quickly composed himself and took a few deep breathes. ! he thought, another one... I've been having many of those... "Yeah..." he answered rather shakily, "Sorry..."  
  
"Want to talk about it Ming?" Jefferson asked in a calm voice.  
  
"No... I'd rather not..." Ming started.  
  
"Herbert, could you leave us for a while?" Arnold requested, "I need to..."  
  
"Got it sir," Herbert replied as he stepped out of the room. Being an officer, it was uncomfortable for Ming to reveal his problems to his underlings. But the same was probably not true with Jefferson, as it was clear that Ming trusted his former CO.  
  
"Talk, that's an order," Jefferson ordered sternly.  
  
"I thought you weren't in the military anymore?" Ming muttered defiantly.  
  
"Yeah, but you're still under my care at the moment, so you'd better be grateful," Jefferson countered rather angrily. Come on Ming, I already told you before that I was your friend, so tell me!  
  
"It's my sister sir... I keep having bad dreams about her..." Ming answered rather uncomfortably. Of all the deaths in his family, Ming regretted hers the most. If only he had not joined the military as his late father had told him to, if only he had been at Side 3 instead of wasting his time in a forgotten corner of the One Year War...  
  
"Look, both of us were at Side 2 at the time, you couldn't have done anything," Jefferson said confortingly as he saw Ming's guilt filled eyes.  
  
"If i had been there, she might not have been caught in that crossfire, and she'd still be alive..." Ming countered. Those Federation s he didn't add... Targetting his uncle, a DIPLOMAT, and killing his helpless niece with him...  
  
"Ming, I'm not so sure about that report anymore..." Jefferson replied solemnly. The sad truth about the matter, he thought, was that his sister was probably not killed by Federal agents as the official news had said, but rather by members of Zeon security forces in their overzealous efforts to maintain security. But it was something that he still could not prove...  
  
"My uncle and sister are both dead, right? That's proof enough what they told me is true. Those Feddies do nothing but kill the ones I love..." Ming said, his eyes burning with hate as he spoke. And that's why I should get out fo here and start killing more of them... "I should be going sir," Ming finished sternly.  
  
"Don't let hate control you Ming," Jefferson advised, "I've seen too many good men waste their lives because of it."  
  
"It's not hate, it's justice," Ming replied defiantly.  
  
"Call it what you want, but you're not going anywhere as of yet," Jefferson replied coldly. You stubborn mule, he didn't add. I just hope you start thinking clearly after a day and a half of sleep...  
  
"Why?" Ming asked, but this time more calmly. Ming knew that Jefferson probably knew something that he didn't, and that could mean the difference between life and death.  
  
"You need to lay low for a while," Jefferson explained, "There are no resistance cells in Von Braun, at least none that I know of that are still active. I do know a few groups operating in other Sides, but inter-colony travel is being heavily monitored at the moment. I might be able to get you a friendly transport in a few days, but until then I suggest you stay with my salvage company and help out."  
  
"I'm a combat pilot, not a grease monkey," Ming objectted rather proudly. His pilotting skills had been among the best during the One Year War, and as a warrior he felt that it was a little insulting to be given a menial job such as salvage work.  
  
"Actually, I might have a duty that will strike you fancy..." Jefferson replied with a grin. -  
"Damn, I hate these shoal zone patrols..." a GM Kai pilot muttered as he led his patrol of three around the debris littered area around Side 2. The pieces of wreckage around him were dangerous enough, but this area was still a favorite hunting ground for pirates and Zeon rebels, despite the growing number of colonists returning to their homes.  
  
And his fears were quite justified. For three hundred meters away a squad of three MS-21C Dras were watching them carefully, hiding among the debris. And unfortunately for the GM pilots, they were not just there to watch.  
  
"Alright squad, let's move out," Lieutenant Ralph Preston ordered as he began to aim his Dra's 90mm machine gun at the lead GM Kai. The Dra was a rather strange looking unit, being a mobile suit/mobile armor hybrid that had been manufactured by the Delaz fleet using salvaged parts. But at the hands of an experienced pilot, like he and his team of Delaz fleet survivors, it was an effective machine. The lead GM Kai entered Ralph's sights, and he just waited for the appointed time...  
  
"Hey, what's this..." the GM Kai pilot remarked as he saw what looked like what was left of a Zaku. It could be one left over from the war, but it could also belong to one of those rebels, he reasoned. He decided to go in for a closer look, and waved for his team to follow him. It was the last mistake he would ever make.  
  
"Easy as fishing..." Ralph remarked as the trio closed within meters of the wreckage of the Zaku. Wreckage that had been loaded with hundreds of pounds of explosives. One of Ralph's wingmen flicked a switch, and a coded signal was quickly sent through a tiny fiber optic cable attached to the Dra. On the other end of the cable, was a detonator...  
  
The lead GM pilot had just reached out towards the wreckage when he saw a tiny spark in the center of the Zaku. He focused his sight on it, wondering what might have caused...  
  
"Now!" Ralph ordered as he flew out of his positions and fired a few shots at the lead GM, closely followed by the rest of his team. The whole GM team turned to meet them, but then suddenly the bombs in the derilect Zaku exploded, engulfing the entire team in the blast. Two GMs died instantly, while a third battered, but still living unit floated on helplessly, its limbs having been blown off. However, Preston was not about to take any prisoners...  
  
"Mayday! Mayday!" the surviving GM pilot screamed as he came back to his senses. The next thing he knew a trio of shells hit his GM, narrowly missing the cockpit area. He tried in vain to maneuver, but the GM was too damaged...  
  
"Too bad Feddie, you had been pretty lucky..." Ralph said over the radio as he stopped right in front of the wrecked GM Kai and aimed his machine gun at the cockpit. He depressed the trigger, and the GM Kai went dead, "We're done team, let's go home," Preston ordered as he turned away, leaving what was left of the dead GM team to join the wreckage that had filled this area.  
  
But the last GM was not entirely dead. At the last moment, the surviving pilot had activated an emergency beacon, and miraculously it survived the damaged inflicted by the bombs and the Dra's machine gun. Federal listening posts picked up the signal a few hours later, and a Federation Task Force was soon on its way to the shoal zone.  
-  
"I'm getting the hang of it..." Ming muttered as he gingerly operated the salvaged GM that Jefferson had pilotted during their encounter outside of Von Braun. Though it did take some getting used to due to the large amount of improvised parts installed in it, the really steep learning curve was figuring out the cockpit controls. Federation cockpits weren't terribly different from Zeon ones, but this was his first time...  
  
"Why don't you use the GM's programmed maneuvers? The Feddies have pretty advanced automated systems," Herbert advised with a grin. Though Ming was initally reluctant, he had decided to try to master pilotting it as a matter of pride, lest the salvage team could brag about being able to do something an ace like him couldn't...  
  
" those systems!" Ming shot back as he tried to walk the GM slowly forward. He had just taken three steps when the GM lost balance and collapsed on the ground, much to the amusement of the salvage team watching him.  
  
"Ming, try those systems out," Jefferson recommended as he tried to keep himself from laughing out loud, "The best way to learn those controls is to watch how the computer does it..."  
  
"Pilotting a Federation machine is shameful enough, but to be forced to use systems designed to kill our Zeon brothers..." Ming started angrily.  
  
"And you should stop complaining, SOLDIER! Swallow your ing pride and learn!" Jefferson shotback in an equally angry tone, "Like it or not, they won, and you probably will never get your hands on a mono eye, so deal with it!"  
  
"Yes sir," Ming replied quietly as he switched on the GM's automated systems. Jefferson was REALLY pushing it, but Ming still respected him. And he was also right, as the GM began to operate more easily, almost lazily, while under the supervision of the GM's computer.  
  
"That's better!" Jefferson encouraged almost like a drill Seargent.  
  
"Sir better than that sir!" Ming replied with a slight grin, remembering the proper naval reply to that particular statement.  
  
Jefferson laughed at that. Good, he thought, start forgetting about the damn war already, and you might live to have grandchildren Ming... Jefferson sighed a little at the last thougt. Despite his age, he had yet to find the right person, and probably never will, though Ming's hot temper and insensitivity would probably make him equally hopeless in that department... Unless the lady he found was a deity of compassion and patience that is...  
  
"Argh!" Ming growled as the GM lost its balance again and collapsed on the ground, leading to an outburst of laughter from the salvage team watching him. And THAT, Ming thought, was too much...  
  
"Oh boy..." Herbert muttered as Ming began to use language his mother would not have approved of, "Maybe I should..."  
  
"Nah, let him release some steam," Jefferson replied as he shook his head. Maybe even a deity of understanding would give up on him.  
-  
"Side 2... of all the places, Side 2..." Sylvie muttered to herself as she got her squad's transfer orders. That Nicolo... he really wants to tear me apart, doesn't he? For who? That arrogant Romanov?  
  
"Any problem mam?" Jin asked as he saw Sylvie's expression turn ugly. What now? he thought. Sylvie was a good CO, but she was just so damn anti-social, especially to men. Probably a reason why nobody in the officer corps dared to ask her out, lest he earn her wrath...  
  
"It's nothing..." Sylvie muttered in reply. I'm going back to his dead home, she thought sadly, the home he turned his back on to save me... And I just... I just couldn't...  
  
"Mam?" Jin asked as he saw Sylvie start becoming teary eyed. Wasn't she from Side 6? What happened in Side 2 that made her...  
  
"Just get your things ready Jin," Sylvie ordered coldly as she quickly turned away and started walking to her room. She felt tears well up her eyes again, which she quickly wiped away. Max... I'm sorry, she thought to herself, hoping somehow her dead love could hear her thoughts, but I still love you, and I don't think I could ever let go... -  
"There! HA!" Ming declared triumphantly as the GM finished a complex series of maneuvers under his control. And he had done it all manually, without the help of a computer. It HAD taken nearly sixteen straight hours of practice, but Ming felt singularly proud at his achievement.  
  
"Perfect Ming," Jefferson observed with a grin, "Now you up for some real work?"  
  
"What's the job?" Ming asked, wanting to show off the skills he had learned to the rest of the salvage crew.  
  
"We're going on a little salvage expedition to Side 2. We'll be away for about a week and a half, but once we're done I could get you that transport," Jefferson explained, "If you still want it..." he continued, hoping Ming would just give it up already...  
  
"Great, at least I could pay you back for your generosity," Ming replied with a smile. In around two weeks, he thought, I could get back to my "real" job.  
-  
"It is good to hear from you, Nicolo," General Gene Corini greeted with a slight smile as his subordinate's face came up the view screen, "So, do you have the list?"  
  
"Yes sir! All dedicated to the cause, as you requested sir," Nicolo replied confidently.  
  
"Good, as we shall be announcing our formation in a week," Corini replied as he began to pet his cat, sitting quietly in his lap, "I really might start considering a good spot for you if they are as good as you say..."  
  
"Thank you sir," Nicolo replied while a smile formed on the back of his head. With my record, he thought, I should be leading the Titans in no time...  
  
"Very well then, I have work to do, dismissed!" Corini concluded as he turned off the video screen. That fool Nicolo, he thought. Did he really think I'd trust a schemer like him? In any case, just as Jamitov had asked, his wish will be granted by the December 4.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	4. Chapter 4: Crossroads

Chapter 4: Crossroads  
  
Dec. 4, UC 0083 Somewhere around Side 2  
  
"Three tons of titanium, coming your way..." Ming declared as he set a huge piece of metal down the salvage shuttle's cargo bay.  
  
"That's VERY nice Ming," Jefferson observed. Most of the wreckage around Side 2 was actually composed of "mooncrete" or lunar concret, the primary building material used in colony construction, while more valuable metals like titanium were found in more limited quantites. So finding a piece as big as that was something to celebrate about.  
  
"That piece is big enough to cover our costs for this trip..." Herbert added as he made a few mental calculations. Just as long as those Lunarian dealers give them a fair price, he didn't add.  
  
"Shouldn't we be going home now?" Jake asked as he brought his pod back in, carrying a few large pieces of less valuable mooncrete.  
  
"No," Jefferson replied, "Salvage is an uncertain business, so we don't just turn back when we turn a profit," Which doesn't happen all the time, he didn't add.  
  
"It's only one more day Jake," Ming encouraged, enjoying his success at a business he had never tried before, "Besides, we've still got some space in the shuttle for more titanium..."  
  
"Yeah, but what about THEM?" Jake asked, pointing to an incoming Federal patrol.  
-  
"Vultures..." Sylvie muttered as she spotted the salvage team that had been working here for the past several days. Didn't they know what had happened here during the war?  
  
"Should we ask them if they're okay mam?" Terry inquired.  
  
"Yeah, hail them," Sylvie ordered as she checked her position. She was exactly where she should be, six kilometers ahead of the newly arrived 3rd MS Team...  
  
"Salvage team, this is the 44th MS Company," Terry hailed coolly over the radio, "How is your mission going? Do you need any assistance?"  
  
"No," the salvage team boss, Arnold Jefferson, replied over the radio in his typical swashbuckling voice, "But we've got ourselves a pretty catch. I might be able to buy a few drinks for you when we're done."  
  
"Thanks, but you know the army, no drinks on duty," Terry replied with a chuckle. Jefferson is a pretty nice guy, Terry thought with a grin, even if he was a Zeek Colonel during the war.  
  
Sylvie scowled as she heard the friendly conversation between Jefferson and Terry. It had been three years, but she still could not forgive nor forget what Zeon had done during the war, even if that guy had a spotless record and a security clearance signed by the mayor of Von Braun himself, "Alright Terry, we've got to get back to business," she ordered.  
  
"Yes mam," he replied as he waved at the salvage team, "Be careful guys," he advised.  
-  
"See? Nothing to worry about..." Jefferson declared as the three Federation Mobile Suits began to speed away from them. It had happened many times during this trip, but the result had been the same every time...  
  
"But making friends with that Feddie pilot..." Ming started.  
  
"He's just a dumb young kid, like we all were back then," Jefferson advised, "But at least he's a nice one."  
  
Ming was a little taken back by Jefferson's reply. He had never thought about his enemy in that way, that his enemy was just a nice young kid. He thought of his enemy as something more like that beautiful but cold, cruel looking female Captain that commanded the patrol, or of the sniper he had executed right here during the last day of the war, the one that had killed his best friend and wingman...  
  
"Reminiscing about the past?" Jefferson inquired with a grin, seeing Ming's serious face.  
  
"Yeah... doesn't it bother you a bit?" Ming asked as he looked around, "We lost a few friends here in Side 2... I feel a bit like a vulture..."  
  
"I know..." Jefferson replied as he faced outside and began to view the debris littered space around him, "But after all the times I've done this, I've started to feel better about it. It's as if I'm visiting their ghosts every time I come here..."  
  
"Ghosts like Mike..." Ming said quietly as he remembered his best friend's face. He wondered for once if there was indeed something beyond death... That maybe Mike and Mei Li could have gotten together like Mike had hoped in the letters he had written to her... But he really didn't believe in that sort of thing, did he? He just believed in actions, which was why he had joined the military so long ago...  
  
"Yeah... Mike was just one of the good kids I've lost under my command," Jefferson agreed.  
  
"It hurts when I think about it Arnold..." Ming said as he began to blink his tears away. "He died saving me back then..."  
  
"You know Ming, someday, we'll finish cleaning up this shoal zone, and I'll be out of the job..." Jefferson started. Good, he thought, let the past go Ming...  
  
"So?" Ming asked, not getting the point.  
  
"But that will take a long time," Jefferson explained, "Just as the wounds left in your heart take a long time to heal. Maybe when we've finished cleaning the last scars left on this place, then the last wounds left in people's hearts by the war would finally heal as well.."  
  
"No wonder you left the military..." Ming added almost jokingly, "You ought to be a poet or a writer..."  
  
"Yeah... but you and your team should quit the military too..." Jefferson suggested. Come on Ming, quit your revenge already...  
  
"Sorry friend, but I don't have the same eloquence as you," Ming replied simply and defiantly, "I'm only a soldier, and I will continue on being a soldier."  
  
Jefferson sighed before saying, "Ming, look... there is more to life than just fighting. Think about it first before you make up your mind, alright?"  
  
Ming turned to face Jefferson, his eyes still determined, "Alright, but don't expect me to change my mind..."  
-  
"Pete, come on! She already said yes, she WON'T change her mind..." the 3rd MS team's squad leader encouraged as his subordinate once again began to worry about his fiancee.  
  
"I know Lieutenant, but I feel like such an insensitive guy getting myself transferred here a day after she answered," Pete replied in a worried tone. Damn those Zeek rebels, he thought, they just had such perfect timing...  
  
"You're a nice guy Pete, she'd wait. Only a fool would leave you," the third member of the team, Dan, remarked as he shook his head. That Peter, he thought, such a worrier...  
  
"3rd MS Team! Keep those personal transmissions down!" Captain Sylvie Gressier ordered angrily over the radio, "We're still on a mission," she reminded.  
  
"Yes mam," the squad leader replied promptly, knowing not to try her patience, "Alright, you heard her guys, let's keep quiet until the patrol is over."  
  
"Jeez, we were only talking..." Dan muttered to himself.  
  
"I heard that," Sylvie remarked coldly over the radio.  
  
"Sorry mam..." Dan replied quietly over the radio.  
  
"Fine, now get back to work," she ordered as she signed off.  
  
"One tough Captain eh?" the squad leader observed.  
-  
"Dumb rookies..." Sylvie muttered. Unnecessary radio chatter like that could alarm any Zeon forces around here as long as they had the correct equipment, and that would probably lead to a dead squad. She didn't want that to happen, lest that kid's fiancee end up like her. She sighed, Max...  
  
"We've arrived at waypoint five," Jin reported as they reached the wreck of an old Salamis class cruiser.  
  
"Any contacts?" Sylvie inquired in a tired tone. And the answer will once again be...  
  
"None, shall we move on mam?" Jin asked.  
  
"Yes," Sylvie replied, "Tell the 3rd MS Team that the coast is clear."  
-  
"Alright squad, take careful aim..." Lieutenant Preston ordered as he aimed his Dra's 90mm machine gun. His squad running out of ammunition after they had used up their last supply depot three days ago, but he still had to do this. The people of Side 2 needed to be shown the duplicity of those Federation s, else they will never be truly independent.  
  
"They're getting closer..." one of his pilots reported, "Damn, this will be hairy..."  
  
"Don't worry, this will be our last battle," Ralph promised. He had also managed to contact a resistance cell in Side 2 the other day, and they were willing to provide a safe haven for them once this mission was over. The problem, of course, was getting there in one piece...  
  
"Enemy is in range," his second wingman, Vince, reported as he tightened his grip on the trigger. I can't afford to miss this time, he thought.  
  
"Alright," Preston started as he aimed right for the squad leader's cockpit, "Fire!!!"  
-  
"Damn, those 3rd MS guys just don't know how to shut up..." Sylvie muttered as she heard more chatter over the radio, "3rd MS Team! I told you..."  
  
"This is 3rd MS!!!" their squad leader suddenly reported in a panicked voice, "We're under..." he blurted out just before his voice turned to static. The members of the 44th quickly exchanged a look.  
  
"Oh !" Sylvie muttered, "Let's go guys!" she ordered, hoping they could get there in time. Fireballs going off in the distance told her they probably wouldn't.  
-  
"There's a battle going on out there!" Ming shouted out loud as he pointed to several fireballs off in the distance, "I have to..."  
  
"Ming, don't..." Jefferson advised as he shook his head, "All you've got is a patched up GM, you can't possibly help them..."  
  
"Which has no weapons," Herbert added, "Unless you literally want to fight hand to hand..."  
  
"But I have to try!" Ming protested.  
  
"I really don't want to go..." Jake started.  
  
"Then don't, you coward!" Ming shot back.  
  
"Jake, shut up!" Jefferson reprimanded angrily. Ming wasn't thinking clearly, and the more that idiot angered him... "Look Ming, I can't stop you," Jefferson continued on reasonably, "But stop walking that damn path already! It's over Ming, don't you understand?!"  
  
"Not to me..." Ming replied defiantly. It'll never be over for me...  
  
"Fine..." Jefferson muttered, "I won't stop you, but be careful, and use your head."  
  
"...Thanks," Ming managed to reply, just as he sped towards the battle.  
-  
"Pete, get out of here!" Dan shouted as he fired off a burst at one of the approaching enemy Mobile Suits. His target quickly evaded and fired back, lopping an arm off his GM Kai, "I said get out of here!!!" Dan repeated as he saw Pete's GM Kai holding its position, trying to support him.  
  
"I'm not going to..." Pete started.  
  
"I'm ranking officer now, and I ORDER you to get the out of here!!!" Dan shotback. Their squad leader was already dead, and Dan wasn't going to let Pete die as well. Not with his fiancee waiting back home...  
  
"But..." Pete started just before he saw a pair of Zeon mobile suits heading right towards him. He instinctively fired off a burst, and, remarkably, one of them went down in flames.  
-  
"Vince!" Ralph screamed out loud as he saw his wingman's Dra take a few hits and explode. That lucky Federation he thought... "Take down the damaged one," he ordered to his remaining wingman, "This one is MINE..."  
-  
"This is bad..." Pete remarked as he reached Dan's damaged GM Kai.  
  
"Just get out of here buddy..." Dan replied in a resigned tone.  
  
"No, I can't!" Pete protested.  
  
"Pete, this is no time..." Dan started just as he saw the surviving pair of enemy Mobile Suits heading straight for them, "! Look out!" he said as he fired off a burst, damaging one of the incoming Dras. But his wingman fired back, and before Dan could do anything a trio of shells punctured his reactor. He stayed alive just long enough to realize he was going to die...  
  
"Dan!!!" Pete screamed as he saw his remaining companion's GM explode in a blinding flash. He turned to meet his assailants and aimed his machinegun. One fired at him and scored a few hits, but he didn't care about it anymore. Instead this was all about avenging his team mates. He fired back, firing at the one who had killed Dan. He missed, but kept firing his machine gun on full auto, letting bullets fly. He missed and missed again, but then he managed to hit the Dra's monoeye. The Dra quickly tumbled out of control, and before the pilot could regain it the Dra took another hit, this time in the cockpit, killing the pilot instantly.  
  
"You !" Ralph shouted as he charged the GM that had killed his two wingmen. The GM shifted its aim towards him. But fortunately for Ralph, its machine gun was out of ammo...  
  
"Oh !" Peter growled as he realized his gun was out, and, he realized, so was his luck. He simply cringed as he saw the Dra stop right in front of him, mono-eye flashing and machine gun aimed straight at his cockpit...  
  
"Looks like your luck has run out..." Ralph said as he prepared to depress the trigger. He never saw what was comign up behind him.  
  
Pete started to close his eyes just as a beam seemed to just barely miss the Dra. The 44th had finally arrived, he thought, but looking at the Dra's gun still aimed at him, he knew it was over. Fiona... I love you.  
-  
"That is one cool shot..." Jin observed as he saw a neat hole right where the Dra's cockpit should be. Sylvie's shot had been so accurate and so sudden that the Dra was still in its menacing pose, even though its pilot had already been vaporized. He turned to the damaged GM. There were a lot of holes in it, but the cockpit seemed intact, "GM Kai pilot, are you alright?"  
"I'm... I'm alive?" Pete asked shakily as he realized the final blow had not come, "I'm really still alive?"  
  
"Are you alright?" Sylvie asked in a more serious tone. But Thank God, she thought, that the survivor was the guy with the fiancee...  
  
"Yeah..." Pete replied, still shaken, "But my squad..."  
  
"We know, we saw the explosions," Sylvie replied grimly, "Let's get you home," she continued.  
  
"My GM seems to be leaking some fuel..." Pete started.  
  
"Yeah... I see a nice hole right in the middle of the main fuel tank," Terry observed, "You're damn lucky that it didn't explode..."  
  
"Alright, abandon the unit, we'll just call a salvage team," Sylvie ordered as she saw fuel leaking out of the main fuel tank. She knew those gasses were very dangerous and could be ignited with the tiniest spark, and it was best to leave the clean up job to experieced engineers.  
  
"I believe I will..." Peter replied as he opened the cockpit. He emerged from it, completely unharmed, and began to wave at Sylvie.  
  
Sylvie almost ventured on a smile as she saw the pilot waving at her. That expression quickly changed as she saw a tiny spark occur jsut behind the damaged GM. She didn't know what caused it but if it was close enough...  
  
Fiona... Pete thought, I'm coming home to you... He suddenly felt a searing heat all around him.  
-  
"Burn..." Ming declared as the damaged GM's fuel tanks exploded into a massive fireball. He had not arrived in time to save the Dra team, but he was in time to draw blood. By firing a flare at the fuel the GM was leaking, Ming was able to ignite the main fuel tanks and kill that murderer who had shot down two of his countrymen. He quickly turned around and headed back towards the salvage shuttle, sure he had not been seen and wanting to keep it that way. The better, he thought, for it to seem like an accident as not to arouse suspicion. Ming grinned, THIS was his real job.  
-  
"Oh no... damn it, no!" Sylvie screamed as the fireball subsided. There was nothing left... only ashes. No... she thought, as she felt tears well up her eyes. Why? Damn it why?! Why him? Why not me?  
  
"Oh ... Oh ," Jin said as he stared dumbfounded into the charred wreckage. How cruel could fate be? To let him survive the battle only to die like this...  
  
"Search the area..." Sylvie ordered as she blinked away her tears. Damn... I should stop crying, stop feeling the pain... she thought to herself, I'm an officer now... But I can't, can I? I can't ever... even if I'll end up only having a hollow shell inside...  
  
"Mam, it was probably..." Terry started, without any life in his voice.  
  
"An accident, I know," Sylvie replied sadly, "But, let's just do it... so maybe we could find something left..." Something left for the lady he had left behind, she thought. So at least she has something to remember him by... unlike me... -  
"Ming, you're back..." Jefferson noted quietly as he saw Ming's GM return to the shuttle.  
  
"I got me one, but there are three more Zeon dead," Ming reported solemnly.  
  
"That is no longer important, listen to this..." Jefferson replied as he turned up the radio's volume and patched it through to Ming. There was a speech being broadcast right now throughout the Earth Sphere by some Colonel named Bosque Ohm. And Jefferson could tell that this boded ill for the future of all spacenoids...  
  
"The Titans?" Ming asked just as he caught the last part of the speech. Who were they? Ming thought, a bunch of Earth fanatics? He never realized at that time on how much he would come to hate that name.  
--------------------------- Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	5. Chapter 5: A Slight Change of Heart

Chapter 5. And sorry Hi Nu, but I won't get as far as CCA. Sorry:-).  
  
Chapter 5: A Slight Change of Heart  
  
Dec. 8, UC 0083 The Lunar City of Von Braun  
  
He's alright, isn't he? Fiona thought. He promised me he'd come back... He promised me... I've waited for him to ask me for so long, and we'de finally spend our lives together wouldn't we? Please be safe...  
  
But it wasn't Peter who stepped out of the shuttle. Instead, it was a female Federation officer, wearing a formal uniform with her hair tucked neatly in her cap. The female officer walked briskly towards her, her face set in stone, her eyes trying to hide her emotions, and failing. And Fiona finally realized her nightmare had come true...  
  
"Mam," Sylvie started as she took off her cap, "I am Captain Sylvie Gressier, and I am here to regretfully inform you..."  
  
Fiona didn't wait for her to finish. Instead she fell down to her knees and started sobbing. Sylvie reached out, trying to comfort her, but Fiona pushed Sylvie's hand away, crying out her dead fiancee's name as she did so. And the only thing Sylvie could do was watch.  
------------------------------ "What's happening out there?" Ming asked as a small crowd began to gather around the dock just beside theirs.  
  
"Looks like some lady crying her eyes out..." Jake remarked as he returned from the commotion, "Something about her fiancee..."  
  
"Her name is Fiona Madrigal," Jefferson explained quietly, "She's the sister of a high school friend of mine. They say her fiancee was killed in a post-combat accident a few days ago at Side 2..."  
  
"What sort of accident? Exploding fuel tanks?" Ming inquired. So, was her finacee the man he killed?  
  
"Yes," Jefferson replied without turning to face Ming, "How did you know?"  
  
"It wasn't an accident," Ming replied almost smugly. About time they finally heard the story, he thought, after four days of worrying about those Titans... "I was the one who..."  
  
"So he was the one you got, eh?" Jefferson asked as he turned to face Ming.  
  
"Yeah, he was the one who killed two of..." Ming started, but before he could finish Jefferson suddenly punched him in the face and sent him flying off to the wall. Ming looked at Jefferson, stunned.  
  
"That's not enough to justify killing him!" Jefferson reprimanded angrily, "His GM was already down, he couldn't have hurt anybody else, and you still killed him! What sort of man are you!?"  
  
"It was for justice!" Ming shotback, "He killed two of ours, that was enough reason to do it!"  
  
"What about her then?!" Jefferson asked, his anger rising. Ming you ! I once thought you were a good soldier... but you aren't. You're just like those mass murdering Zabis...  
  
"Things like this happen in a war!" Ming countered, "Just because she's you're friend's..."  
  
"I'm not angry because I know her..." Jefferson interrupted, "I'm angry because you killed a helpless man! We don't shoot helpless people!"  
  
"Even if he was that sniper?!" Ming asked as he remembered the battle between him and an ace Federation sniper on the last day of the war. He was helpless back then too when Ming finally shot him... even as he cried out for his girl...  
  
"My God Ming... don't tell me you executed him while he was helpless too..." Jefferson replied, truly shocked at the monster he had not known to have existed within Ming.  
  
"He killed Mike!" Ming reminded, "How many of YOUR men were killed by him?!"  
  
"But he never killed anybody who was helpless. He just killed those who could shoot back to try to kill him and his companions. He just did his duty. He was a real soldier," Jefferson countered. And he was beginning to have more respect for his gallant enemy than Ming.  
  
"You can't prove that!" Ming replied, sure that the enemy he had fought before was a true monster who would not hesitate to kill anyone from Zeon.  
  
"Oh really, then look at THIS," Jefferson replied as he showed Ming a picture. It was of an old comrade of Ming, Lieutenant Ukiya, sitting beside what looked like a pregnant woman, "Remember how he asked to be left behind after his Rick Dom got damaged?" Jefferson asked.  
  
"Ye... Yeah..." Ming replied rather shakily, not wanting to be reminded of his failure to bring him back.  
  
"It was the sniper who took him prisoner. Ukiya thought he was going to be shot, but he wasn't. In fact they treated him very well, even though their commanding officer had been killed during that battle," Jefferson explained, "In fact, he's now living peacefully in Side 3, happily married. He sent me this picture to reassure you and Mike that he was alright. Now tell me, did you do the right thing back then? Was shooting that sniper in cold blood the right thing to do?"  
  
"Yes..." Ming replied quietly, though this time with some doubt. It was still all for justice, wasn't it?  
  
Jefferson stared coldly for a few moments at Ming. He had suddenly lost all respect for his former ace pilot. But as his former superior officer, he also felt guilty for failing to stop him from becoming like this. He ripped the picture to pieces and threw it into the floor, "Fine, get your things ready. I'll have your transport ready by the afternoon. The Side 2 resistance is looking for somebody like you..."  
  
"Arnold..." Ming started.  
  
"From now on, call me Jefferson again..." Jefferson replied in a cold tone.  
  
"Fine," Ming replied equally coldly, "Jefferson..."  
-  
Why did it have to be him? Sylvie thought for the hundredth time since the battle at Side 2. Why the hell did it have to be him and not me? Why can't fate just take me and stop the pain already?  
  
"Mam, are you alright?" Jin asked as he stepped into her office. She looked like hell, he thought, but they had all been through one traumatic experience. But it was far more so for the lady that was left behind.  
  
"I'm okay," Sylvie replied as she shook her head, "How's Ms. Madrigal?"  
  
"They just sent her for the hospital," Jin replied solemnly, "She's in severe shock, but they say she'll be alright in a few days..."  
  
"It'll never be alright..." Sylvie muttered to herself. It never would...  
  
"Mam?" Jin asked. Was this why she was always depressed all the time? Did she lose somebody dear to her during the war?  
  
"Nothing Jin," Sylvie replied as she regained her composure, "Anyway, get your things ready, we're going back to Side 2 by the afternoon, alright?"  
  
"Yes mam," Jin replied in a quiet tone. He sighed. It was just so frustrating to see this happen everyday.  
-  
"Aren't we a pair of sorry sons of a es..." Herbert muttered as he poured Jefferson another glass of rum. Both old salts in the military, they were now getting into the time honored tradition of getting drunk. Both men felt partly responsible for Ming. They were supposed to be the younger generation's "second fathers" during the war, and in Ming's case, it was quite clear they ed up, big time.  
  
"I should have seen it coming..." Jefferson muttered as he sipped some of his drink, "He had already been pretty badly traumatized by the deaths of his family, and I should have seen that he'd snap when that sniper appeared..."  
  
"Was that guy really that good?" Herbert inquired.  
  
"The best pilot on the other side," Jefferson declared, "Maybe even on both sides. But he believed in the same things as I did. Remeber Wavell?"  
  
"That General who went crazy and tried to nuke Side 6?"  
  
"Yeah," Jefferson replied, "He nearly got away after using me as a decoy, but that sniper managed to stop him. And he gave up his own life in doing so. Giving his own life so millions more could live..." Including mine, he didn't add, or else I would have killed myself out of guilt. But that was just half of it. Part of the reason Wavell had not gotten away was because of his actions. In the only time he had ever betrayed his countrymen, Colonel Arnold Jefferson had revealed the location of Wavell's force and its mission to the Federal Forces, condemning many of Zeon's sons to their graves to save millions more... But leaving him so racked with guilt that he had to move from his home at Side 3 and settle here at Von Braun... He blinked his eyes. Damn, he thought, a grown man shouldn't be crying like this...  
  
"How'd you find that out?" Hebert asked, almost doubtful at the truthfulness of his story. Though he did not believe in killing civilians or prisoners, Herbert believed firmly in spacenoid independence, and had come to disturst the Earth Federation.  
  
"I met their commanding officer at the surrender," Jefferson explained, "A very honest Russian guy... I think his name was Dolvich. We spent a few hours discussing how close it had been..."  
  
"Like Lee meeting Grant at the Appomattox Court House eh?" Herbert asked almost with a smile as he imagined the meeting.  
  
"And I was Lee..." Jefferson replied with a nod, "But I still wished I stopped Ming from joining Delaz back then..."  
  
"It's not your fault Arnold," Herbert said in a comforting tone as he shook his head, "You know how stubborn that kid is. He gave us all fits when he fought with us under Delaz..."  
  
"But still..." Jefferson started before stopping himself. Ah hell, he thought, Ming was a monster anyway, and he didn't associate himself with those kind of people, did he?  
  
"He's still your friend," Herbert continued for him as he saw Jefferson's face.  
  
"Yes..." Jefferson replied quietly. I still do trust and respect him, don't I? He's almost like a son to me...  
  
"Then don't worry. I'll be tagging along with him anyway, I'll make sure he stays out of trouble," Herbert promised.  
  
"I'm not worried about his physical well being," Jefferson replied, "I'm worried about his mental state. I'm just afraid that he'll turn into a mindless killing machine. One that doesn't realize what he's doing everytime he pulls the trigger..."  
  
"He'll probably realize it by himself someday... I hope."  
  
"He IS rather like a lone wolf," Jefferson replied with a chuckle. Maybe Herbert is right after all... "Oh yeah, what time is it? Shouldn't you be at the dock by 4:00 p.m.?"  
  
"Yeah, but we still have," Herbert started as he looked at the time, "Holy !" he remarked as he saw that it was already 3:56, "It's almost time!" Damn these drinking sessions! he thought, time passes so quickly.  
-  
"Where the hell is he?" Ming muttered as he waited outside the shuttle Columbia. Herbert was late, even though his things had already been loaded onto the shuttle, but that was not his only problem...  
  
"Captain... that inspection team is getting close..." Jake warned as he pointed to several Federal officers searching the shuttle beside theirs. To make matters worse, several VERY mean looking men wearing black uniforms were with them. They were probably part of the elite task force that had been formed to hunt them. The Titans.  
  
"It's 4:00, we need to go, NOW!" the Columbia's Captain reminded over the intercom. Though he was sympathetic to former Zeon soldiers, he wasn't an active part of the resistance, and he wasn't being paid enough to take risks like this.  
  
"! We'll have to leave him!" Jake muttered. But part of him was glad. At least that nice old guy wouldn't face dangers anymore like them...  
  
"Jake..." Ming started, "We don't ever leave..."  
  
"We do now!" the Columbia's Captain remarked in a panicked tone, "Get onboard, or we launch without you!"  
-  
"We should start with the Columbia soon..." the chief inspector said as he completed his search of the ship. As usual, he thought, nothing...  
  
"My men haven't searched this shuttle yet," Brevet Titans Captain Ivan Romanov declared as he scanned the shuttle's manifest. Mobile Suit parts, huh? he thought, all being sent to a native of Side 3 who is said to specialize in construction Mobile Suits... Sure... "Search the hold!" he ordered his men, "And check all those containers."  
  
"Look, that manifest is correct as far as we know," the chief interrupted reasonably, "And I know the guy they're sending this stuff to. He's clean."  
  
"Lieutenant! Detain the inspector for questioning!" Ivan ordered. So, you dare collaborate with Zeon scum?  
  
"But..." the chief inspector started just before he was punched in the face by one of the Titan officers. His subordinates tried to stop him, but they were quickly stopped by Ivan who produced a pistol and aimed it at them.  
  
"Resist, and we'll shoot you dead right here, right now!" Ivan declared, "Now put all your hands up! You shall all be detained!"  
  
The chief simply nodded to his men, who did as they were told. Damn these s, he thought, I hope these guys are disbanded soon.  
-  
"Boy, for once I think the Feddies are helping us..." Jake remarked as he saw the commotion going on between the dock inspectors and the Titans officers, "But I wouldn't want to face those Titans guys... they look mean."  
  
Ming simply nodded. THAT was why he was fighting for Zeon. To stop those inhuman abusive monsters who had enslaved the spacenoid population... And he hoped that he could continue his fight well in Side 2...  
  
"Alright!" the Columbia's Captain declared as he got authorization from Von Braun, "We have clearance, we are launching!"  
-  
"Hey! We haven't inspected the Columbia yet! Why is she leaving?!" one of the inspectors declared as he saw the Columbia start moving out of the dock.  
  
"Shut up!" one of the Titans officers declared as he punched the offending inspector in the mouth. You dumb spacenoids... he thought.  
-  
"Oh ! We're too late..." Herbert remarked as he tried to catch his breathe as he ahd run all the way to the dock. Damn it! he thought, they were only two minutes late and yet...  
  
"Don't worry, we'll just try to contact Ming when he gets there..." Jefferson suggested. Just so long as...  
  
"Who are you?" a man wearing a black uniform asked as he saw the two of them standing near the dock.  
  
"A pair of sorry idiots who missed their shuttle..." Herbert muttered in reply.  
  
"Really?" the Titans officer asked suspiciously, "Well..."  
  
"Kyle! Get back here!" Ivan ordered as he saw one of his less "reliable" subordinates talking with a pair of worthless drunks.  
  
Kyle eyed the two men for a moment, but decided not to keep his CO waiting, lest he get chewed out again.  
  
"Whew..." Herbert remarked as he saw the Titans officer walk off, "Close..."  
  
"Yeah..." Jefferson agreed as he started pulling Herbert away from the dock, "I just hope Ming doesn't meet any of those guys at Side 2. They look like heartless killers to me."  
-  
There! Doctor Cassandra Miller thought to herself as she finished cleaning up her office. It had taken three years, but she was finally home. Her home that had been devastated by Zeon invaders during the One Year War. But despite the carnage that they had done, people were coming back to live here again. Some were fellow survivors like her, but most were newcomers who had immigrated from the other overpopulated Sides. In any case, they were all here to rebuild their lives, right here in Side 2. And nothing would stop them, she thought as she saw a trio of black clad men patrolling around her neighborhood, not even those brutal Titans.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	6. Chapter 6: Introductions

Chapter 6 is up. Also got me a new spell checker, so it ought to have less errors.:-) Don't expect Chapter 7 to be up in a week or so, due to school and Pearl Harbor(despite the bad reviews, I'm still watching it).  
  
Chapter 6: Introductions  
  
December 12, UC 0083 Side 2, Bunch 7 Colony  
  
"Alright, we're here," the Columbia's Captain declared as he joined the two Zeon fugitives hiding in the shuttle's hold, "Get your things ready."  
  
"I guess..." Jake muttered. Though the Columbia had provided them with a safe ride to Side 2, it had not been a comfortable one. The hold had been hot and cramped, and the food had proven to be just as worse as the freeze-dried rations they had subsisted on during their long fight under Delaz.  
  
"Don't complain," Ming ordered sternly, "We're soldiers, and we are supposed to endure such hardships."  
  
"Yes sir..." Jake muttered in reply. Boy, he thought, with company like this.  
-  
"What is HE doing here..." Sylvie muttered as he saw a familiar face among the Titans officers stepping off the shuttle. Ivan Romanov.  
  
"Ahh... it's good to see you again Captain Gressier," Ivan declared in an insincere tone as he saw his former CO. Having a bad time I hope? He didn't add but so very much wanted to say.  
  
"Good to see you too..." Sylvie muttered in reply as she gritted her teeth. Of all the worthless s Nicolo could have sent, it had to be that Ivan...  
  
"Do I sense displeasure in your tone?" Ivan observed with an evil grin. Want me to flush your career further down the waste bin, Captain?  
  
"Not at all," Sylvie replied as she barely managed to keep her voice neutral. Ivan, she thought, you worthless murderer... I hope that someday you'll get your just deserts... -  
"Abuse of authority, complete lack of tact and subtlety, not to mention being totally unsuccessful at catching at any of the rebels. The list of offenses that those idiots Nicolo picked just gets longer and longer..." Major Natalie Dolvich reported contemptuously over the videocom to her commanding officer, prospective Titans Field Commander Bosque Ohm.  
  
"What do you suggest we do to these band of brigands?" Ohm asked almost with a grin. Good... he thought, the more that Nicolo's men screwed up, the less likely that scheming idiot would become the Titan's Commander...  
  
"I'd like to train them myself," Natalie replied confidently. And I'd show those arrogant boys how to fight, she didn't add. Though too young to have participated in the great battles of the One Year War, she had graduated near the top of her class at the Federation's Nijmegan Academy and had led a number of successful raids against Zeon guerilla forces operating around Africa.  
  
"Major, you are there merely as an observer..." Colonel Ohm reminded.  
  
"Even if they make us all look bad sir?" Natalie asked almost sarcastically. But she was keeping a close reign on her feelings. Ohm was her commanding officer, and as a member of an elite unit, she had to show a lot of professionalism.  
  
"That is true..." Ohm conceded. A couple of nosy independent journalists, particularly that annoying Kai Shiden, had been publishing a number of derogatory articles about the Titans. Articles that had called the new organization as nothing more than a bunch of "thugs" or "Nazi wannabes." Articles that Generals Jamitov and Corini were not pleased about. And if "he" would be the one to solve that problem... "Would you need anything if you were to train them yourself?"  
  
"I have all I need right here sir," Natalie replied with a nod. Come on sir, she thought, lemme beat up that motley crew...  
  
"Very well, I'm giving you the authorization, you may train them yourself," Ohm replied with a nod, "Just don't disappoint me Major Dolvich."  
  
"I won't sir," Natalie started, "But please don't call me by my surname sir. It reminds me of General Dolvich," she finished with spite in her voice. She did not want to remember the man that she had once called father. If only he hadn't encouraged her brothers to join the military... if only he had stayed on with mother instead of doing his "duty"... But that was his way. Always duty over his only daughter... -  
"This looks a lot different from Side 3..." Jake observed as he stepped out of the shuttle. Unlike the claustrophobic, windowless, and highly artificial looking "sealed" colonies of Side 3 that had been built to accommodate more colonists, Bunch 7 was one of the more typical "open" type colonies. Based on a design proposed during the 20th Century, it had been designed from the start to be an Earth like suburban paradise, and the natural light coming down from the giant glass panels and wide open green spaces certainly made it seem like that.  
  
"It is, but we don't have time to admire the scenery," Ming declared as he joined Jake, "According to the Captain the resistance cell is located in the town of Santa Fe near the military base. That's an hour's walk from here."  
  
"Near the military base?" Jake asked doubtfully, "Why there?"  
  
"Because those brain dead Federal soldiers never see things when it's right under their noses," Ming replied contemptuously as he picked up his bag, "Now enough talk, let's go."  
-  
"This is the base we are supposed to operate from?" Ivan scoffed as their jeep pulled to a stop inside Bunch 7's Santa Fe military base. With the exception of the shiny new GMs, the entire base was in serious disrepair. Obviously, not enough money had been released to completely repair the damage Zeon had done during the One Year War.  
  
"It's a little messy, but the base is quite habitable," Sylvie countered. A little too messy for your elitist tastes? She thought.  
  
"I'LL decide what's adequate for our purposes or not," Ivan declared forcefully.  
  
"No, I will," a new female voice suddenly declared even more forcefully than Ivan did. Everybody turned to see a beautiful young woman wearing a sleek black uniform with a Major's insignia clipped neatly on her collar, "And I say this base is probably too good for you..."  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Ivan asked rudely. Don't you know who I am? He thought.  
  
The Major's eyes only narrowed at that remark, "I am Titans Major Natalie Dolvich, and please remember I do outrank you. Show the proper military courtesy or you'll be sorry."  
  
"Oh really?" Ivan asked arrogantly. He could not have known the Major was just itching for him to say that.  
  
Natalie simply nodded as she grinned lightly. Suddenly, using only one hand, she grabbed Ivan by the collar and lifted him up from his seat, "So, because I'm just a woman you think you could push me around, eh?" she asked as she pulled his face closer to hers.  
  
"No... No mam..." Ivan replied nervously as the Major suddenly tightened her grip on his collar and began to choke him. Jeez! He thought, how the hell could a girl be this strong?  
  
"Good," Natalie replied as she let go of his collar and let him drop back to his seat, "Get your men assembled at Barracks Three in five minutes time. And if any of you come in late, you'll have to deal with ME. Understood?"  
  
"Yes mam!" the Titans officers replied quickly in unison. Sylvie grinned. It looked as if her wish had been fulfilled...  
  
"Oh, and Captain Gressier, I'd like to discuss some things with you and your regular forces," the Major added as the Titans quickly began to file out of their vehicles.  
  
"Me mam?" Sylvie asked.  
  
"Yes," Natalie answered, "As far as I know, you and I are the only ones with extended combat experience in this base. Even though you are not a Titan, I know of your exemplary record and your loyalty to the Earth Federation. I'll be needing that to turn this band of scarecrows into top notch soldiers worthy of the Titan's name."  
  
"Well... this is highly irregular mam..." Sylvie started. Almost every Titans officer she had met so far had been an elitist who had shunned her for being a spacenoid. But then again, the Major was probably related to her old CO, General Dolvich, even though she hadn't mentioned it yet, and Sylvie knew that the General was a fair man.  
  
"I judge people by their talents, not where they were born. Just so long as they are loyal to keeping the people on Earth safe from rebels like those Zeon remnants," the Major explained coolly, not wanting to admit that she had inherited that philosophy from her father.  
  
"What about the daily patrols the base commander has ordered mam?" Sylvie asked, "He has been posting regular Federal Forces troops all over the colony to watch out for those rebels."  
  
"Forget about them, since I will be commanding this base from now on," Natalie explained, "And I'm going to put a stop to these police state tactics. There are many ways to skin a cat, Captain."  
-  
"Jeez this looks like a police state..." Jake observed as they arrived just outside the Santa Fe. Although Santa Fe was just a small rural town, he could already see several Federal soldiers patrolling around the town, while the only road to the district was guarded by a heavily armed checkpoint.  
  
"Let's split up," Ming ordered, "That way we both don't get caught at the same time."  
  
"We have fake IDs remember sir?" Jake reminded as he produced one of the exceptional forged IDs that Jefferson had provided for both of them.  
  
"Yeah, but what if those Feddies ignore them?" Ming countered, "Don't worry, the safe house is only around fifteen minutes walk from here now. We'll meet there. So long as you remember the address..."  
  
"Don't worry sir," Jake reassured, "I remember. Just don't get lost like you always do sir."  
  
Ming merely grunted in reply, knowing that Jake's last statement was true. -  
"Alright, we've got new orders from base HQ," one of the checkpoint's guards declared, "All patrols around the town are cancelled, and all personnel are to return to base ASAP."  
  
"About time..." one of the soldiers manning the machine gun muttered in reply. It had been an extremely boring week for all of them, having done nothing but watch grass and search the occasional immigrant coming in from the other Sides.  
  
"Hey, I think I see two guys heading towards the town," one of the men manning the observation tower reported, "They aren't using the main road."  
  
"Leav'm alone..." the machine gunner shotback, not wanting to stay in the cramped check point any longer, "They're probably just another bunch of hikers out there for a good walk..."  
-  
"Made it..." Jake whispered to himself as he reached a concrete embankment that seemed to mark the borders of the town. It was easier than he thought. The patrols he had seen on the way in had disappeared upon his arrival, while the nearby houses seemed empty. Getting to the safe house would be easy now, he thought as he checked his map. All he needed now was to pick out the best path.  
-  
It was getting frustrating, Ming thought. He had gotten into the town with surprisingly little difficulty, but now he had a problem. The route he had taken had led to a dead end, and now Ming simply had no idea where to go. A tap on his shoulder suddenly interrupted his train of thoughts, "You new around here Mister?" a voice asked him from behind.  
  
Ming turned and found himself face to face with a young woman, with a pretty, inquisitive look on her face. He quickly drew his face back a little and started to open his mouth, but then stopped himself, not knowing what to do or say...  
  
"I said, 'You new around here mister?'" the woman repeated as she brushed away her long black hair.  
  
"Umm... yes..." Ming replied nervously as he quickly eyed the young lady. She was wearing a doctor's coat, he saw, with a name tag pinned on her right chest. Cassandra...  
  
"Cassandra Miller," she finished for him as she saw Ming trying to make out her name, "But everybody calls me Sandra. What's yours?"  
  
"I'm Ming Chow..." Ming replied almost unconsciously. Oh ! He thought, that's not my name on the ID! Why the HELL did I just say my real name to her?!  
  
"Pleased to meet you Ming, now could you please tell me what you're doing here?" Sandra asked with a grin.  
  
"Well..." Ming replied nervously. Oh ! He thought, this is what I get for not dating during high school...  
  
"You always like this when you're around a girl?" Sandra asked in a playful tone as she saw his face. He seemed quite easy to read somehow, though she didn't know why...  
  
"Yes... sorry..." Ming replied as he tried to regain his composure.  
  
"Well then don't let that worry you," Sandra reassured, "What are you doing here anyway?"  
  
"I'm looking for a relative of mine," Ming explained as he thought through his cover story, "He lives in Oak Street, do you know where it is?"  
  
"Yeah," Sandra replied with a nod, "Want me to take you there?"  
  
"I wouldn't want to trouble you..." Ming started.  
  
"Don't worry," Sandra replied enthusiastically before he could finish, "I've got free time, and it's on the way to my clinic anyway. Besides, a bodyguard would be nice."  
  
"Bodyguard?" Ming asked rather doubtfully. What does she mean by that?!  
  
"Just a joke!" Sandra replied with a smile, "Jeez, are you always serious?"  
  
"People do tell me that..." Ming admitted.  
  
"Then loosen up a bit!" Sandra encouraged as she grabbed Ming's arm and started dragging him away, "Come on! Let's get you to that relative of yours!"  
-  
There it is! Jake thought as he spotted the two-storey apartment building he had been looking for. The safe house.  
  
"Strawberry," a voice suddenly asked him from behind.  
  
"Cream," Jake replied as he remembered the proper coded reply.  
  
"So you're the new arrivals eh?" the voice asked, "Where's your partner?"  
  
"You mean he's not here yet?"  
-  
"So many construction sites..." Ming observed as they passed by another building under construction.  
  
"An awful lot of buildings were destroyed during the war, and we're only just rebuilding it now," Sandra explained before she spotted a familiar looking old man... "Hey! Mr. Alejandro, is that you!?"  
  
"Oh! Doctor!" one of the construction workers shouted back as he put down his tools and ran towards the two of them, "When did you come back?"  
  
"Just a few days ago," Sandra explained as the man took off his helmet to reveal his weathered face and graying hair, "Haven't you thought of retiring yet?"  
  
"Been a construction worker since even before you were born, doc, and I'm not giving it up ever," Alejandro declared proudly, "Especially after what those Zeek s did to us during the war. Murderers..."  
  
Ming's eyebrow raised slightly as that remark, but he controlled himself. It was not the time to blow his cover.  
  
"Oh, and who's your friend?" Alejandro asked as he noticed the man standing just beside Sandra, "Your new boyfriend I hope?" Ming's eyes went wide at that remark.  
  
"Come on now! You know better than to tease me like that!" Sandra replied before Ming could embarrass himself any further, "He's just here to visit a relative of his."  
  
"Okay... okay, got it..." Alejandro replied with a chuckle, "Anyway, I have to go back to work now so..."  
  
"Please, don't let us detain you..." Ming replied a little coldly.  
  
Alejandro merely nodded in reply as he put on his helmet, before running back to the construction site. Sandra quickly stared coldly at Ming, "You were a little mean back then you know..."  
  
"Sorry, I came from Side 3 you see..." Ming explained. Oh ! Not again! He thought. His ID had placed his residence at Side 6, not Side 3! Why am I being so damn honest?!  
  
"Well... maybe I could understand that but..." Sandra started quietly, obviously not wanting to discuss the issue.  
  
"Sandra? Is there..." Ming started. Oh ! Here she is helping me out and I go hurt her feelings...  
  
"Look out!!!" a voice suddenly warned, followed by the sound of metal crashing to the ground.  
  
Sandra instinctively looked up and saw a huge metal beam falling right on top of her. She felt paralyzed, unable to move, but before she was squashed she felt somebody push her out of the way and sent her flying into the ground. The sound of the crashing metal subsided just as suddenly as it started, replaced instead by the panicked voices of the construction workers. She slowly sat up, and saw to her horror that it had been Ming that pushed her away... And his right leg was now being crushed under that beam.  
-  
Each colony contains several towns and cities each. See the site "High Frontier" for more details.  
--------------------------- Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	7. Chapter 7: True Nature

Sorry if it's late, but I'm getting VERY busy at school. Expect a very slow rate of writing now, maybe one every two weeks. Sorry again, but I will try to keep the fic up. Hopefully, I could once again get back into high gear once the term break comes...  
  
Oh, and what do you guys think about it anyway? Maybe I'm making it too obvious again? :)  
  
Chapter 7: True Nature  
  
Ming, wake up... a kind, gentle voice told him as his mind started coming to. He was lying on a bed, he thought... A soft warm bed. And he could almost feel somebody right beside him... Wake up... the voice repeated, and Ming started to open his eyes. He once again found himself face to face with Sandra, but this time her face was different. Her face was set in stone, as a doctor should be when examining a patient, but not her eyes. They seemed sad somehow... Was she...?  
  
"Ming! You've finally woken up," Sandra declared as her face quickly changed from one of worry to one of relief, "Are you feeling alright?"  
  
"I... I guess so..." Ming replied as he started shaking his head. He felt a little dizzy, but he decided that he was probably alright. That was until he noticed that the bandages on his right leg, "What the..."  
  
"You nearly got squashed by those falling steel beams, remember?" Sandra reminded, knowing Ming must have suffered from shock after the accident.  
  
"Yeah... it's coming back to me now," Ming replied as he remembered what had happened. How the steel beams had started falling straight for Sandra... And how he had pushed her away... Idiot! He thought to himself, why the hell did I do that?!  
  
"Well don't do that again," Sandra continued disapprovingly, "The beam fell right on the lower part of your Tibia. If the bone had broken, it'd take months to heal, and maybe if you were really unlucky..."  
  
"You might have ended up dead..." Ming added unconsciously, still trying to figure out why he had risked his mission to save her life... She was only a stranger. A stranger that had already helped him to be sure, but still a stranger. Worse still, she was also part of the Federation that he so hated, and if she knew who he really was...  
  
"Well... yes," Sandra admitted uncomfortably as she looked away. He HAD saved me back then, she thought, just like "he" did so long ago... "Sorry I forgot to mention it first, but thank you." "Don't mention it," Ming replied, "You did help me out after all," he added, trying to justify his actions to himself and to her.  
  
"But that was one hell of a selfless thing to do in return," Sandra replied jokingly as she turned to face Ming, "But that reminds me, how about your relative at Oak street? Would you like me to..."  
  
Ming's eyes went wide at that. Oh ! I should've been there hours ago and...  
  
"Look, I can contact them if you want to," Sandra offered as she saw Ming's near panicked face, "Till then you could spend the night here in my clinic."  
  
"No I have to..." Ming started as he tried to stand up. Much to his pain and dismay, he found that his leg could not support his weight, and he would have fallen to the floor had Sandra not grabbed him by the shoulder.  
  
"Whoa! Stop it!" Sandra warned angrily as Ming struggled to get up once again, "I'm a DOCTOR, and I am ORDERING you to get back on that bed!"  
  
"Who are you to..." Ming started in reply until he saw Sandra's icy stare. They were so cold that it felt as if the room temperature had dropped down a notch, and Ming quickly did as he was told.  
  
"Good..." Sandra noted as her downturned mouth quickly turned into an approving grin, "Now about your relative again..."  
  
"Sandra, please, let me handle it," Ming quickly interjected, "I don't want to trouble you anymore than I have to..."  
  
"Is that why you didn't show me this?" Sandra suddenly asked as she tossed something into Ming's lap. It was his fake ID.  
-  
"Lieutenant Jake Stark eh?" Side 2 resistance leader Major Rex Gibbons noted as he went over Jake's papers, "The same Jake Stark who sank three cruisers at the Ruum?"  
  
"Sir, that was from a very long time ago..." Jake muttered in reply, trying hard not to remember his past, "I'm not the same man that sank those three cruisers anymore."  
  
"Bull," Gibbons answered in reply, "I knew your old CO, Colonel Hoffman, and he said that you and your wingman was the best damn pair that had ever served under him. And he said that exactly two days before he died at A Bau A Qu."  
  
"A lot can happen in two days sir," Jake replied as he set his eyes downcast onto the floor, "Like being the only survivor out of your whole unit..."  
  
"Look, SOLDIER," Gibbons continued sternly, "As far as I know you're a very skilled and experienced pilot, and soldiers like you are a rarity these days. I expect a lot from you mister."  
  
"With all due respect sir," Jake replied as he looked up to face Gibbons again, "Captain Ming is probably a lot more skillful and dedicated than I am, it's probably better if you rely more on him..."  
  
"You are here, and Ming is not," Gibbons replied coldly, "We're looking for him now, but he seems to have disappeared. We're afraid that he might have been captured, and we were really counting on having an ace like him for our next mission. And if we can't find him, you'll have to take his place."  
  
"I'm not good enough to replace him sir," Jake repeated. And I'm not that willing to risk my neck out anymore... Not after all that had happened...  
  
"Too bad, because you don't have a choice," Major Gibbons replied as he pulled out a map and handed it to Jake, "Study this well, you will need it soon."  
  
Jake nodded uncomfortably as he glanced at the map. It was a map of the military base.  
-  
I'll get that Major Dolvich... Ivan thought as he led his squad of Mobile Suits up a low hill. Although the base at Santa Fe was in poor condition, it did have a lot of open spaces available for maneuvers, and the Major had been quick to run a training exercise to test out their skills. They'd beat that arrogant Major, he was sure. Especially since she was stupid enough to go out with only one wingman against his team of six.  
  
Unfortunately for Ivan, the wingwoman the Major had picked wasn't just an ordinary pilot. In fact, she had been shadowing Ivan's team since they had left their hangars, completely undetected. And she was more than ready to show that Ivan what she thought of him, "Sylvie here, they're almost on top of you Major."  
  
"Thank you Captain..." Natalie replied as she gripped her trigger more tightly. She was sitting on the opposite face of the hill, hidden in a defilade right below the hilltop. As the ground began to shake from the "enemy" MS Team's giant footsteps, she quickly pulled out a "grenade" from her GM Kai's shield and primed it. All that was needed now was for Sylvie to start shooting...  
  
Ivan quickly signaled his team to stop and lay low as his GM Custom finally reached the hilltop. He quickly surveyed the area in front of him, and seeing nothing, ordered his team to continue. Had this been a real battle, it would have been the last mistake they would ever make.  
  
Sylvie quickly aimed her GM Custom's "simulated" beam rifle at one of the GMs. Sylvie regretted that her rifle didn't really shoot beams, at least not ones that could burn through titanium, but at least certain "modifications" they had made would most certainly make the experience all the more embarrassing for Romanov. As the squad prepared to move once again, Sylvie depressed the trigger, and a tiny infra red beam quickly shot out of her "rifle's" barrel, heading right for one of the GMs' cockpit...  
  
Ivan had just taken a step when one of his GMs suddenly erupted in smoke and collapsed on the ground. For "realism" the participating units had been designed to power down and emit smoke once hit, and Ivan just belatedly realized that his team was under fire. He was just about to order his men to scatter, but before he could do so an alarm claxon went off and his GM quickly collapsed on the ground, buckling Ivan from his seat as it did so. As he got up, the screens around him declared in big, bold letters: YOU'RE DEAD!  
  
"Elite soldiers of the Federal army eh Captain?" Major Natalie suddenly taunted as her face appeared in the video screen, "Return to base immediately for the After Action Report. You have a LOT of explaining to do," she ordered, before signing off.  
  
"DAMN!" Ivan growled as he stared at the screen, still flashing the message in front of him. He had failed. Failed like "he" did. Damn it! he thought, I won't be like him! I won't let those spacenoids kill me. I won't!  
-  
"Look, I can explain..." Ming started as Sandra waited for his explanation, tapping her foot impatiently as she did so. Great going Secret Agent Ming, he thought to himself, what the hell do I tell her now?  
  
"Look, just come clean with me, and I won't call the police," Sandra encouraged, "Are you an illegal immigrant or something?"  
  
"Sandra I..." Ming started again, looking very uncomfortable, "I..."  
  
"I was a medic during the One Year War, and it was my job to save people, whether they were from Zeon or the Federation," Sandra explained, "And I still think that way, even now, so don't worry if you're from Zeon."  
  
"I somehow doubt that..." Ming replied too automatically, a result of his long exposure to Zeon propaganda.  
  
"Why?!" Sandra demanded, "You don't REALLY believe the stupid lies those Zabis preach do you?! We aren't brutal killers."  
  
"It's not lies, it's the..."  
  
"Truth?" Sandra finished for him, to which Ming firmly nodded in reply, "Well then it's time to stop believing that bull Ming," she continued as she picked up a small velvet covered box from her desk and passed it to Ming, "Open it, and tell me what's inside."  
  
Ming bit his lip and slowly opened the box, suspicious about its contents. What he found completely surprised him. It was a collection of dog tags and military insignias, probably souvenirs from the war. But most of them didn't come from Federation soldiers. They came from HIS countrymen... from Zeon, "Where did you...?"  
  
"Most of my patients usually give me a souvenir or two once they get well," Sandra explained, "Since most Zeon soldiers don't have a lot to give, I just ask for their insignia or dog-tag as a remembrance. They're my lucky charms you see, and I've yet to lose a patient," she finished rather proudly.  
  
Ming nodded as he picked up one of the dog tags, this one seemingly having a few bloodstains. Private Joachim Altmark, of the 1st Terrestrial Mobile Division...  
  
"Now back to you Ming..." Sandra suddenly interjected as she grabbed the tag and put it back in the box, "Why are you carrying a fake ID?"  
  
"I'm sorry Sandra, you know about how bad the war was... and you know that we're not exactly welcome in this part of space..." Ming replied quietly, still trying to digest what Sandra had told him. Had he had been fooled into hating people he didn't really know all along?  
  
"Yeah, I know," Sandra agreed, "If I wasn't there, Alejandro and his construction crew might have made your stay quite unpleasant. They all lost family during the war."  
  
"What about you?" Ming asked comfortingly. Did "we" do anything to you as well? He thought. Because if so, how could you act so kindly to somebody who was once your enemy?  
  
"I... I was an orphan," Sandra replied quietly, "Never had any family, nor any real friends. Even when I went on that medical scholarship. I'm kinda the shy type you see..."  
  
You? Shy?! he thought but did not say out loud. But at least that explained part of it. She had not felt the pain of losing somebody like he did, and so had probably remained naive of the true nature of war... "Oh... I see..." Ming answered in reply.  
  
"What about you?" Sandra asked, turning the tables on Ming.  
  
"Sandra could we not..." Ming started, not wanting to remember about the death of his whole family.  
  
"Alright Ming," Sandra replied with a nod, "Is this why..."  
  
"Yes," Ming replied firmly, "I still don't trust the Federation. I don't want them to know that I was from Zeon."  
  
"I see..." Sandra said with a thoughtful nod, "Well next time, be a better actor, alright?"  
  
"I'll try to keep that in mind..." Ming agreed.  
  
"And about your relative..." Sandra started again.  
  
"Actually, he's not really a relative of mine," Ming explained, "I was really just looking for a job that my friend had recommended to me. I'm sure I won't be missed."  
  
"Oh.. Alright," Sandra replied, though with some doubt in her voice, "But that means you won't be moving around until you're well, right?"  
  
"Don't worry doctor, I won't," Ming promised, though he wasn't sure if he could keep that promise.  
  
"Alright," Sandra replied with an approving nod, before suddenly holding Ming's left hand and pulling her face only inches away from his, making Ming blush, "And if you want to talk about anything, just tell me, alright?" she told him in the most gentle tone she could manage.  
  
"Yes..." Ming just barely managed to say as his eyes met hers and he felt his pulse racing. Thankfully, Sandra nodded and took a step back after his reply, looking a little embarrassed at her actions.  
  
"I have to go get dinner ready, I'll be back soon!" Sandra declared as she started to turn around towards the door, "And sorry about that... I get a little sentimental at times you see..."  
  
"Sure... don't worry about it..." Ming replied as he watched her step out of the room. He looked at his left hand, and began to nurse it with his right. It had suddenly felt cold after she had let go.  
-  
"Arnold, somebody's here to see you..." Herbert declared nervously as he entered the former Colonel's office.  
  
"Who is it?" Jefferson inquired in a tired tone. He had been busy the past several days looking for a safe shuttle to get Herbert to Side 2, but to no avail. The Titans had proven deadly efficient and professional in monitoring the dock areas after the initial "incident" he had witnessed, so much so that people now saw them as symbols of justice and not another way for paranoid Earthnoids to maintain control over the colonies...  
  
"It's a lady named Estella," Herbert explained, "But since you look..."  
  
"Estella Madrigal?" Jefferson suddenly asked as he nearly got up from his chair, "Here?"  
  
"Glad you still remember me. Arnie," a tall young woman declared as she entered the room, smiling impishly at Jefferson as she did so.  
  
Jefferson sighed before replying, "Yes, but could you PLEASE stop calling me Arnie..."  
  
"Your name sounds cuter that way..." Estella replied jokingly, "Besides, we're old friends aren't we?"  
  
"Maybe I should..." Herbert started.  
  
"No..." Jefferson interrupted before Herbert could finish.  
  
"Yes, please..." Estella suddenly countered before Jefferson could say anything further, "I'd like to talk to him alone."  
  
"Yes mam," Herbert replied as he quickly stepped out of the room. So... the Colonel DOES have a personal life, doesn't he? He thought. The plot thickens yet again...  
  
"Estella..." Jefferson started.  
  
"Don't worry Arnie, I'm here for business," Estella explained, "Mainly for Fiona, and mainly because of my job."  
  
"And why would an investigative reporter want to talk to me?" Jefferson asked, "Other than the fact that we went to high school together?"  
  
She smiled at his last remark before answering, "Captain Ming Chow."  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	8. Chapter 8: The Gravest Doubts

Chapter 8 here)  
Chapter 8: The Gravest Doubts  
  
Dec. 13, UC 0083 EFSF Warspite, Somewhere between the Moon and Side 2  
  
"You seem agitated sir..." the Warspite's XO observed as Nicolo paced around the bridge. He had been pacing since they had left Lunar orbit for Side 2 yesterday, and what he was doing was nothing short of distracting to the bridge crew.  
  
"It's NOTHING XO," Nicolo growled as he continued to pace. Damn it! He thought. What was that Colonel Ohm thinking by countermanding HIS orders?! HE would be the one to lead the Titans soon, Corini would make sure of that, and he would show Dolvich's arrogant daughter who's boss... -  
"Your Major Dolvich seems to have done quite well..." Corini remarked as he finished reading the report, "Looks like you ARE the better man for the job, just as Jamitov has said."  
  
"Yes sir! Thank you sir!" Ohm replied quickly as a smile formed in the back of his head. Does this mean I will now be getting the job?  
  
"However, I WOULD like to see some results first," Corini reminded, "If they do well, then you'd most certainly get my recommendations to become the Titan's Field Commander."  
  
"I will do my best sir," Ohm replied with a nod, "If you want, I'll personally..."  
  
"No, I need you here," Corini countermanded, "I've already sent General Dolvich on the Yamashiro to reinforce our positions at Side 2, and I believe it will be enough for the moment to handle those suspected resistance cells."  
  
"Sir, with all due respect, he's not a Titan," Ohm reminded, "He might even be sympathetic to spacenoids."  
  
"Yes, but his wayward daughter is one of us, and she could most certainly handle him," Corini finished with an evil smile.  
-  
"Buy you a drink Captain?" Major Natalie Dolvich offered as both she and Sylvie passed by the base's O-club. Both had enjoyed seeing that arrogant Captain Romanov deflate after the disastrous results of his first training exercise, and the Major felt that Sylvie deserved a reward for her performance.  
  
"Thank you, but I don't think it's really proper..." Sylvie started wearily.  
  
"Forget about it Captain, you deserve it," Natalie objected as she began to drag Sylvie towards the Officer's Club. As they entered, a couple of officers, all of them male, quickly raised their glasses and cheered at the new arrivals. Clearly, everybody felt that Romanov had it coming.  
  
"Nice welcome eh mam?" Jin observed as he raised his glass in salute.  
  
"Yeah... Thanks..." Sylvie replied uneasily, her eyes downcast. Damn, she thought, I should be celebrating, why couldn't I?  
  
The Major quickly noticed Sylvie's sudden bout of depression and dragged her to a secluded corner of the bar and forced her to sit down. She quickly called for two glasses before asking, "Any problems Captain?"  
  
"No mam, really..." Sylvie started as she continued to stare into the floor, not wanting the Major to see her eyes...  
  
"Is it because of some dumb who broke your heart?" the Major inquired almost playfully.  
  
"Mam..." Sylvie started, but the look on her face made it obvious.  
  
"Look, it's not your fault if some idiot would walk away from you. Hell, men always only think about themselves..." the Major encouraged, drawing the last statement from her deep-seated hatred for her father.  
  
"Actually... I think it was the other way around," Sylvie replied, forcing a grin, "I walked away from him when I shouldn't have... And now all I have left is regret..."  
  
"There are other fish in the ocean Captain," the Major reminded, "Heck, I even think that even your Lieutenant Jin Lee has slight crush on you..."  
  
"He's barely 20. Far too young..." Sylvie muttered in reply, dismissing THAT unpleasant thought. And I've already closed my heart out to those things, she didn't add, and I don't think anybody could ever find anybody like him... "What about you Major?"  
  
"Haven't found a guy who could handle me yet," the Major replied proudly. Even though she was a woman, she was the strongest, and definitely one of the smartest, people on the base.  
  
"Not even your father?" Sylvie asked as she remembered her old CO, "He seemed like one..."  
  
"Please don't talk about that... man," Natalie suddenly interrupted coldly, just barely able to keep herself from swearing out loud.  
  
"Sorry mam," Sylvie apologized, "Father and daughter problem?"  
  
"He's not my father. Not anymore," Natalie replied with a touch of anger in her voice.  
  
Sylvie sighed before saying, "I know the feeling. My dad and I weren't that close either..." And he just had to die when we were finally getting along, she didn't add. Another thing to regret.  
  
"Well, it looks like we do have a number of things in common Captain," Natalie replied as she managed a smile.  
  
"Sure looks like it Major," Sylvie agreed.  
  
"Cut out that Major crap for the moment Sylvie, we're off duty anyway," Natalie ordered with a smile.  
  
"But mam..." Sylvie started.  
  
"Look, call me Natalie, alright?" Natalie told her with a smile, "My friends call me that."  
  
"Majo... I mean Natalie, we've only just met, and you're a Titan. I'm just regular EF," Sylvie reminded.  
  
"I know..." Natalie agreed as she looked directly at Sylvie's eyes, "But somehow, when we first met, I knew that we'd get along. I don't know why... but I like you..."  
  
"Oh... well..." Sylvie replied, still a little shocked. But why not? she thought. Even if she was a Titan, Natalie was still one hell of a decent person... "I haven't really made a lot of friends after the war, but..." Sylvie then offered her hand.  
  
Natalie laughed before taking the hand and shaking it firmly, "Friends! But let's keep it to ourselves when we're off duty, alright?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll remember that Natalie," Sylvie replied with a smile. It certainly seemed like the start of a long friendship.  
-  
"Come on Arnie! Tell me, have you seen him or not?" Estella asked impatiently. The argument between them concerning Ming had gone on for hours, only to be occasionally interrupted by talking about old times.  
  
"And for the nth time, NO! I haven't," Jefferson replied in an annoyed tone, "And will you please stop calling me Arnie?!"  
  
"Look, I KNOW he escaped the little fiasco over that colony drop, AND he was heading for the moon. Don't bull me," Estella shotback defiantly, "He was here."  
  
"Why do you want to find him anyway?" Jefferson suddenly asked, realizing Estella had not even revealed the true purpose of her visit.  
  
"Arnie, you know my business and I just can't..." Estella started.  
  
"Estella, don't you trust me?" Jefferson asked. Has your job taken over you THAT much? he thought. So much so that you don't trust your old confidante?  
  
Estella sighed as she saw Jefferson's accusing eyes. She smiled before she raised her hands up in surrender, "Alright, it's for an article about the events that happened on November 10."  
  
"The colony drop was on November 13," Jefferson reminded.  
  
"I HAVE info about the drop. I need info about the attack on Konpei Island," Estella explained, "A LOT of people saw the drop. Only a few saw what happened at Konpei, and most of them can't talk because they're in the military."  
  
"What's so special about the attack anyway?" Jefferson asked. It was true that the details of the Konpei attack were sketchy, but most people in Von Braun had assumed it was just another one in a long string of battles that culminated to the drop. And it was also something that Ming nor any of his companions had NOT discussed to him.  
  
"They used a nuke on the Naval Review," Estella explained further, "It was bad. Lots of ships went down, and that's just scratching the surface of it."  
  
"What else could there be?" Jefferson asked, realizing the seriousness of the offense. Nuclear weapons had long been considered taboo after the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, and any violation of it was treated very harshly. Something that Colonel Killing would have found out if he hadn't blown his brains out three years ago...  
  
"A brand new Gundam," Estella continued as she produced a sketch of the Gundam that had been called by her Anaheim Electronics source as the Physalies. Its head was similar to the "White Devil's," but this one had a HUGE shield and a small, but menacing looking bazooka.  
  
"Holy , they built ANOTHER Gundam?" Jefferson remarked as he pored over the sketch, "I saw a new one a couple of days ago when a couple of Cima's ships attacked Von Braun, but I didn't think they'd build more without announcing anything..."  
  
"They had good reason to. This Gundam was designed specifically for nuclear warfare, in violation of the Antarctic Treaty," Estella explained almost smugly, proud of her accurate sources, "And it was the Delaz Fleet who captured it and used it against the Feddies..."  
  
"How does Ming fit in all of this?" Jefferson inquired, wanting now to get straight to the point.  
  
"Ming was high-ranking and famous enough to know every last detail of the operation. If I could get information from him, I might be able to get enough evidence to show the Federation's duplicity," Estella explained, "This might be the key we need to achieve spacenoid independence."  
  
"Or start another war," Jefferson replied, far less enthusiastic than Estella.  
  
"My father DIED in the war fighting for our freedom. I say the risk is worth it," Estella replied coldly.  
  
"And I fought in the war too," Jefferson reminded, "And there is no right or wrong in war. Only dead people."  
  
"Fine then!" Estella fumed, "I'll look for him myself!"  
  
"Ummm... boss..." Herbert suddenly interrupted as he entered the room.  
  
"Not now Herbert!" the two of them ordered.  
  
"It's important!" Herbert shotback angrily, "The Federation is sending battleships to Side 2 to hunt down rebels."  
  
"So... he's in Side 2 eh?" Estella deduced.  
  
"Herbert!!!" Jefferson reprimanded angrily.  
  
"Look, one of your dock worker buddies just got the word that the battleships Nevada, Warspite and Yamashiro are all heading for Side 2. The Federation is up to something, and Ming could be in VERY big trouble," Herbert explained.  
  
"And why did you say that while SHE is around?" Jefferson asked, pointing to Estella.  
  
"Because she has a fast shuttle to get us to Side 2, sir," Herbert replied sarcastically.  
  
"Estella..." Jefferson started.  
  
"He's right. I do have a ride to Side 2 Arnie," she told him with a grin.  
  
"Then we're going. Now."  
----------------------- "Our sources have reported that several Federation battleships are heading for our colony," Major Gibbons declared as all members of his resistance group, including Jake, gathered around for the meeting, "We need to accelerate our plan. We attack the base tomorrow."  
  
"Sir, I'd hate to say it, but attacking the base is suicide," Jake remarked.  
  
"And why don't you shut up you coward!" countered Lieutenant Vikram Tagore, one of the younger, more idealistic members of the group.  
  
"Care to explain?" the Major ordered coldly.  
  
"Sir, attacking the base with just fifty guys is crazy enough, but even if we DO take the base, what then? We'll be attacked by a bigger force of Feddies and we'll just be wiped out," Jake explained coolly. Why don't you guys just stop playing soldier and get on with your lives? He didn't add.  
  
"We'll have support from the colonists. They've probably suffered as much as we have," Tagore countered.  
  
"Have you even bothered to ASK?" Jake asked angrily.  
  
"No, but..." Vikram started.  
  
"Then get out on the street and see for yourself! We aren't exactly the most popular people around here now, and don't think that they'd help us because we kicked those Feddie's es a couple of weeks ago," Jake continued on angrily. Don't waste your lives already, you overzealous idiots, he thought.  
  
"Enough!" the Major ordered angrily, "We have a backup plan in any case."  
  
"Care to mention it, sir?" Jake muttered sarcastically.  
  
"I'll tell you when you need it, SOLDIER, now are you with us or not?" the Major shotback angrily. Though he was quite pissed at Jake's outbursts, they simply needed Jake's skills.  
  
Jake took a quick glance at some of the stern looking members of the group carrying their guns before saying, "Yes, I am."  
-  
"It wasn't as bad as I thought, you might be out of here by tomorrow," Sandra declared as she showed Ming an X-Ray of his broken bone.  
  
"Well, you are a pretty good doctor..." Ming conceded. The pain from his leg was largely gone now, and he could even walk as long as Sandra helped him.  
  
"How was dinner, did you like it?" Sandra inquired.  
  
"Yeah, it was nice. Thanks," Ming replied, embarrassed that he wasn't able to repay her kindness.  
  
"Need anything more?" Sandra asked, "Because if you do please don't hesitate."  
  
"No. Besides, it's becoming embarrassing getting taken cared of all the time by a beautiful girl like you..." Ming replied, and meaning it.  
  
"Well, you could always visit once you're well and help out with the chores," Sandra offered, "It's a lot nicer to have some company."  
  
"Well... I don't really think I could visit you that much..." Ming replied, not wanting to involve her any further should trouble break out.  
  
"Why? You're staying in this colony, right?" Sandra asked with a frown, tilting her head slightly as she did so.  
  
"I'm not really sure..." Ming replied, now wondering why he cared about this young lady's safety.  
  
"You're weird, you know that?" Sandra asked as her expression changed to one that was a mixture of doubt and amusement.  
  
"And I thought you were supposed to be shy..." Ming countered.  
  
"Not to my patients," Sandra replied with a grin.  
  
"All of them?" Ming asked rather doubtfully.  
  
"Yup! All of them!" Sandra replied with a grin even wider than her first, "Oh, and I forgot. I need to pick something up. Guard the place till I get back, alright?"  
  
"Alright, no problem," Ming replied with a nod. He watched as Sandra quickly stood up and headed out the door, waving good bye to him and smiling at him warmly before she left.  
  
Ming sighed as he heard the door shut close. He was feeling guilty. He was REALLY feeling guilty. Sandra had proven to be an... an absolute angel this past day, and his conscience was repeatedly bothering him for lying to her all the time. He had often wished he could just leave, but his leg still tied him to his bed at the moment. Somehow, he just needed to leave her. At first, he had felt that she was distracting him from his mission, but now...  
  
Now, he felt differently. And he knew why. She was simply a better person than he ever was. She had remained untouched by the war, and had not been corrupted by it. He still believed fighting was the right thing. He still believed in fighting for justice, but she had fought for what she believed too, and she didn't have to destroy or kill anything to do it... She was, he realized, simply special, and, much to his surprise, he wasn't sure if he could ever call her an enemy anymore...  
  
Then a sudden thought entered his mind. What if everybody he had fought was exactly like her? Somebody who he could eventually stop calling as an enemy? What if... what if Jefferson was right? Was he becoming a revenge obsessed monster?  
-  
Oh, and I forgot to add a little real world history to this little ship name I used. Anyway, this ship is named after the arguably most famous British battleship of all time, the HMS Warspite or "The Old Lady" as she was affectionately called.  
  
One of the famous(and old) Queen Elizabeth class battleships(which includes the Barham and the Valiant), these ships served in BOTH World Wars and did very well in both, a testament to their good(not to mention beautiful) design. Warspite would fight at Jutland(where she did a famous 720 degree turn in front of the whole German Navy!)in WWI and fought in a number of actions in WWII, including the triumphant British victory at the Second Battle of Narvik, eventually becoming the most decorated British ship in WWII. Unfortunately, she was scrapped right after the war ;;.  
  
"Old? Definitely. Obsolete? Arguably. Out-gunned? Slightly. Slow? Comparatively. Status? Legendary!"  
  
Yamashiro was one of two Fuso class Japanese battleships that fought in WWII. Both were sunk in the battle of Surigao Strait, October 1944, at the hands of American battleships and their supporting PT's and destroyers that were sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbor.  
  
Nevada was one of the American battleships at Pearl Harbor. The only ship to get underway, she was eventually forced to beach herself to keep from sinking. After which she was salvaged and fought in a number of important campaigns, particularly Normandy and Okinawa.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	9. Chapter 9: Responding to the Call

New chapter up. However, don't expect to see a new one for two or three weeks, alright? .  
Chapter 9: Responding to the Call  
  
Dec. 14, UC 0084 Santa Fe Military Base  
  
"Damn... Why did it have to be him?" Major Natalie Dolvich muttered as she read the message that had been sent to the command post.  
  
"Mam?" Captain Manuel Garcia, current watch officer for the base, asked as he saw her expression change. They were getting reinforcements after all, he thought, why was the Major upset?  
  
"Nothing Captain," the Major replied quickly as she regained her composure, "Get me Captain Gressiere."  
  
"Already here mam," Sylvie declared as she entered the command post.  
  
"General Dolvich is arriving tomorrow to bring in reinforcements. They believe that trouble may flare up around Side 2," Natalie explained, "I need to personally send some men to the docks to make sure the reinforcement effort goes smoothly."  
  
"Would you want me to go with you mam?" Sylvie inquired.  
  
"No, I want you to start sending out patrols around the town," the Major replied, "New intel reports have shown that resistance groups around Side 2 are up to something soon. We might get attacked."  
  
"Mam, excuse me but..." Sylvie started before stopping herself, remembering that Natalie was still her commanding officer.  
  
"I know Captain, the civilians," the Major finished with a slight smile, "That's why I want the patrols to be kept in civilian clothes. Hopefully, that shouldn't tip off any rebels hiding out in the colony AND keep the civilian populace from getting too alarmed. If intel is right that is..." she finished with a slight touch of contempt in her voice. Nobody really believed in intel much, and were in fact seen as something to be mistrusted.  
  
"How do we identify them if fighting does start mam?" Captain Garcia interjected, trying to forget several unfortunate friendly fire incidents he had seen in his career.  
  
"Tell them to bring their caps and to wear them if shooting starts. That should be enough identification," Natalie replied with a nod, glad that the Captain had thought about that possibility.  
  
"How many men should I send out?" Sylvie asked, already thinking up of a list of names to send out.  
  
"Thirty should be enough," the Major replied, "And I'll be taking twenty men to the docks. That should leave you with a hundred men, Captain Garcia."  
  
"That would be more than enough to defend the base mam," Garcia replied confidently.  
  
"Good," Natalie concluded with a nod as she started heading for the door, "I'll be off now, take care of the base for me you two."  
-  
"How much weaponry is usable?" Major Gibbons inquired as his group finished unloading the weapons they had hidden these past three years.  
  
"Enough assault rifles and sub-machineguns to equip everybody Major," Lieutenant Tagore reported, "But only three of our mortars and one of our rocket launchers are still in operational order. The rest are a little too damaged to use."  
  
"We're awfully short on heavy weapons," Jake observed.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Lieutenant. We have Sergeant Horton, right?" the Major countered, referring to their group's expert mortar operator.  
  
"Don't worry Jake. I'll take them down before they could get out of their barracks," the Sergeant replied in his usual, soft-spoken manner.  
  
"Getting to those Feddie Mobile Suits would still be difficult though..." Jake reminded. His part of the plan was relatively simple. Get in the base along with the other pilots and commandeer the Federation Mobile Suits that had been stored in the base. Hopefully, once they had them the battle would swing to their favor, but he still had his doubts...  
  
"Don't worry about those Feddie pilots either Jake," Corporal Gustav, one of the group's snipers, encouraged as he patted his sniper rifle, "We'll get'm before they could get to their Mobile Suits."  
  
"I know... but still..." Jake muttered in reply. This is STILL crazy, he thought.  
  
"It's still for our homeland," Gibbons declared proudly, "Our homeland that has been made into a puppet of the Federation. And it is our job to show the rest of our fellow spacenoid brothers that is time to be free of the shackles that the Federation has put us all in. SIEG ZEON!" he declared as he raised his hand in salute.  
  
The men all quickly followed and raised their hands in salute, shouting the Zeon battle cry as they did so. All but one. Jake still had nothing but doubt.  
-  
"Careful, careful..." Sandra warned as Ming started to walk gingerly on his own.  
  
"Don't worry Sandra, I think I can handle myself now..." Ming replied as he started to walk more comfortably. The pain was totally gone now, and he was feeling like his old self again.  
  
"So... will you be going soon?" Sandra asked rather disappointedly.  
  
"Yeah," Ming replied as he scratched his head, "Thanks for all the kindness you've shown me..."  
  
"I'm a doctor, it's my job," Sandra replied with a slight grin, "Do remember to visit me once in a while... alright?"  
  
"I'll try," Ming promised.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to... to stay a little longer?" Sandra asked quietly as she looked away, "I mean... It's a lot nicer to have some company and..."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I really have to get going," Ming replied in a sad tone as he took a step towards Sandra, "But I'll always remember you..."  
  
Sandra turned her head and chuckled at that remark, "Oh, you're trying to charm me now eh?"  
  
"Just being honest..." Ming replied, blushing lightly. Oh ! I did it again!  
  
"Well then that's good," Sandra replied with a wide grin, "Anyway, rest here for another day. I think it'd be safe to release you by tomorrow."  
  
"Yes... tomorrow..." Ming said with a nod as he looked away. Tomorrow, he thought, he'd finally be able to leave. And perhaps he might finally get back to his mission... A mission that he couldn't... WOULDN'T let Sandra get involved in. He wouldn't. Not to someone like her... -  
"Keep quiet men..." Major Gibbons ordered as his squad reached one of the abandoned houses in the outskirts of town. Those houses would be the staging point for their attack, which was due to start very shortly...  
  
"Mortar crew set sir," Sergeant Horton reported over the radio. Unlike the assault teams, the heavy weapons guys were deployed in the town itself, on the rooftops of a number of abandoned buildings along with the sniper teams. It was the one advantage they had over the Feddies. They had the high ground.  
  
"Rocket team here," a second voice reported, "I've spotted their command bunker. Just give us the word and we'll blow it all the way to hell."  
  
Gibbons nodded at that. Taking down the command bunker and disrupting communications was an essential part of the plan, else the enemy might be able to muster a coordinated defense that could most likely overwhelm his troops, "What about their Mobile Suits? Are any patrolling at the moment?" Gibbons inquired, wanting to make sure the enemy's most powerful weapons were not yet in play.  
  
"They are still in their hangars," Gustav reported, "Looks like they are down for some maintenance, like our sources have said."  
  
"Good," Gibbons replied with a slight smile. Those MS would now prove ripe for the taking... "Jake, are you and your fellow pilots ready?"  
  
"Just fine..." Jake replied over the radio from another abandoned house. With him were six other pilots, all of them armed, along with another eight men who weren't pilots. It was the job of those eight to get them to the Mobile Suits, no matter the cost, and that did not please Jake.  
  
"Good. Begin the operation."  
-  
"Alright, how's the patrols going?" Sylvie inquired as he saw one of her non-uniformed NCOs, Sergeant Shang.  
  
"Going well," Shang reported, "So far, we haven't alarmed the civilian population yet, and so far we haven't seen anything too suspicious in the town."  
  
"What about the area around the base?" Sylvie inquired, "Have you checked the abandoned houses around there?"  
  
"I've sent five men to that area. It should be enough," Shang replied.  
-  
Private William O'Connor was unusually apprehensive today. Although he had patrolled the town countless times during his stay in Santa Fe, he had never felt this level of anxiety. Perhaps it was the first time he was patrolling or because he was out of uniform, but he didn't think it was it...  
  
Suddenly, a bright stream of flame shot out of the rooftops of the town. It was, he realized, a wire-guided anti-tank rocket, and one that was heading for the base that he called home. He stared in utter disbelief as the rocket smashed itself into the command bunker, easily ripping through its reinforced concrete wall before its warhead exploded the bunker from the inside out and sent pieces of it into the air.  
-  
"Go! Now!" Major Gibbons ordered as he saw the command bunker explode after a direct hit from their rocket launcher. His men quickly lobbed a trio of smoke grenades in the direction of the base, enveloping the outermost machinegun posts in smoke. His men began to move forward as the whistling sound of falling mortar rounds began to fill the air.  
-  
"Oh my G..." O'Connor started as he saw a group of men, armed to the teeth with assault rifles, beginning to advance towards the base. Before he could complete that statement however, a trio of mortar rounds landed right on top of Barracks Two and blew the building apart. Twenty men were in the building at the time. None made it out alive.  
  
"!" O'Connor swore out loud as he began to reach for his pistol. He hadn't been spotted yet by the advancing column, and he was sure that he could get some of them before...  
  
But I wouldn't be able to get ALL of them, wouldn't I? he suddenly realized, AND I'd most certainly end up dead. He quickly stopped extracting his pistol and ducked for some cover before extracting his second weapon. One more subtle than a pistol, but one far more deadly. A radio.  
-  
"What... what is going on around here?!" Ivan declared as he ran towards the ruined command post. Explosions were going off everywhere, but it couldn't be...  
  
"Sou... Sound the alarm..." Captain Garcia pleaded as he staggered out of the bunker, bleeding profusely from his face and arms as he did so. Before he could take another step, he collapsed and fell onto the shocked Ivan's arms, smearing his black uniform with blood...  
  
"Garcia! Get a hold of yourself... get..." Ivan started until he felt for Gacia's pulse. He was dead.  
  
"Oh God... they're all dead..." one of his Titans officer reported as he took a peek inside the command bunker, "What... what do we..."  
  
"I... I don't know..." Ivan replied as his hands began to shake. Those spacenoid s are here again. Here to kill me...  
  
"I'm sounding the alarm!" one of his subordinates, Lieutenant Kyle Ferrel declared as he unhesitatingly entered the ruined control room and began to search the carnage around him. Miraculously, the alarm system was still intact, and soon alarm claxons began to ring all around the base, while a distress call was sent to all nearby commands.  
-  
"O'Connor! What's the situation?" Sylvie inquired over the radio as she cocked her pistol. She had never really used one in combat before, but she DID often learn quickly enough...  
  
"Bad!" O'Connor replied, "The machine gun nests are holding them at the moment, but just barely. But the base has been blown all to hell by those damn mortars! We need them taken down now!"  
  
"On my way!" Sylvie replied as she signaled Shang and a squad of men to follow her, "Give me their position."  
  
"I see one on top of the Hillary office building," O'Connor reported, "Beside the 3rd district clinic..."  
-  
"Sandra, stay here!" Ming ordered as he started heading towards the door. Even from here, Ming could here the sounds of explosions going off in the distance, and he was certain that this was the work of the resistance cell he was supposed to contact.  
  
"Oh no!" Sandra replied angrily, "You are NOT going out there in your condition! Stay here, you'll be safe!"  
  
"Sandra, I have to..." Ming started before stopping himself. You don't want her to get involved, would you Ming? But if I stay here...  
  
"Why?!" Sandra asked angrily, before moving her face only inches away from his, "You... you aren't one of them, are you? You aren't one of those Delaz rebels..."  
  
"Sandra..." Ming started before he stopped himself and sighed, "I'm sorry..." he the quickly turned around to leave.  
  
"Damn it! Get back here!" Sandra suddenly shouted back, running after Ming. Ming... Why? she couldn't ask, why didn't you tell me? Where you afraid... I wouldn't understand?  
-  
"This is bad!" Jin declared as he ducked for some cover. His decision proved wise, as a trio of mortar rounds suddenly smashed into the barracks behind him and sent pieces of it flying into the air, killing several exposed men.  
  
"We need to get to our Mobile Suits..." Terry suggested as he crawled his way to Jin's position, closely followed by several other pilots. Damn it! he thought, we should've kept at least one Mobile Suit on patrol, but with all the budgetary and supply problems...  
  
"You're right Terry..." Jin agreed as he saw one of the machine gun posts go up in smoke after taking a direct rocket hit, "Let's risk it."  
-  
"Sir! I've spotted the enemy pilots," one of Gustav's snipers reported, "They are heading for the hangar!"  
  
"Take them down!" Gustav ordered as he took aim at the lead pilot and centered him on his sights. He fired, and the man fell down on the ground, bleeding from his thigh as he did so. Two more men fell in a matter of seconds, before the rest of them began to run back for their cover. Another went down before they reached it.  
  
"Sir! One is still alive, should I..." one of his snipers reported.  
  
"No," Gustav countermanded, "He's bait."  
-  
"Sniper on the roof!!!" O'Connor reported over the radio, "On Warehouse 17, beside the construction site!"  
  
"!" Sylvie muttered. Snipers... she thought, "O'Connor, could you get anybody else in your patrol group?"  
  
"No, I couldn't reach any of them!" O'Connor replied with worry in his tone, "I haven't seen any of them either. I'm afraid the Sergeant may be planning some heroics of his own..."  
  
"Great..." Shang muttered in reply. He should've picked somebody with a cooler head to lead that patrol, he thought... Damn!  
  
"Don't worry Shang, I'll handle those snipers. You focus on that mortar crew," Sylvie ordered.  
  
"Mam! You can't go there alone..." Shang started.  
  
"Those mortars are our priority Shang," Sylvie reminded, "Don't worry, I can take care of myself."  
-  
"It's them again... Those Zeon s are here again..." Alejandro muttered as he saw the explosions from his vantagepoint on top of the construction site. They were coming again... to kill everybody. To kill his wife... his daughter... his son-in-law... even his grandchild...And he wasn't able to do one thing...  
  
No, he suddenly realized. I CAN do something. I CAN. He looked at the rest of his crew, who all nodded in agreement without speaking a word. Not again, they all thought. Not again... -  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	10. Chapter 10: The Way Heroes are Born

Chapter 10: The Way Heroes are Born  
  
"Terry, for pity's sake keep down!" Jin told his wounded wingman as he tried to keep his head below a ditch that had been providing him with cover. Terry was still struggling, he saw, but the bullet lodged on his leg kept him from doing much of anything other than to let even more blood pour out of his wounds.  
  
"I have to..." Terry started groggily as he tried to get up again, no longer thinking properly. He moaned as his leg once again failed to support the weight and sent him crashing back into the ground.  
  
"Damn it we have to..." one of the pilots started as he raised his head to take a peek at Terry's condition. A bullet quickly struck his forehead, and he quickly fell dead on the ground, splattering some of his blood on the shocked Jin.  
  
"Oh... Oh !" Jin muttered as he saw the man's blood covered face. If somebody doesn't get those snipers soon.  
-  
"Sandra, please!" Ming pleaded as he saw Sandra still running after him, "I don't want you to..."  
  
"What? Get hurt?" Sandra shouted back in reply, "Didn't you even think how... how..."  
  
"What the hell are you two doing out here?" a new voice suddenly asked the two of them, "A battle is going on! Find yourselves some cover!"  
  
Ming and Sandra turned to meet a woman wearing civilian clothes, handling a pistol in her hands. A cap on her head denoted that she was a Federation officer. It was Sylvie.  
  
"I said, get some ing cover!!!" Sylvie repeated angrily as the two of them stared dumbfoundedly at her. Sheesh! she thought, couples nowadays...  
  
"Yes mam!" Sandra quickly replied as she saw her opportunity. Before Ming could object or even struggle, she quickly started dragging Ming out of the way, kicking his wounded leg for good measure as she did so.  
  
"Idiots..." Sylvie muttered as she saw the two seemingly start another argument as the lady dragged the guy off. But she did envy them a bit. And now... "Max... maybe today we might finally meet again..."  
-  
"Sandra!" Ming bellowed angrily as he finally managed to get himself out of her grasp, "Yes, I AM one of them. I lied to you. I don't deserve any of your help. So leave me alone!"  
  
"I can't!" Sandra shot back angrily, "I can't Ming, I just can't!"  
  
"Why?" Ming replied, his voice going down a notch, "You've already done your duty as a doctor. And I'm just an ungrateful taker of lives. Nothing will ever change that. So why?!"  
  
"I... I don't know Ming. I just don't know..." Sandra said quietly in reply, turning her head away as she did so.  
  
"Then if you don't know..." Ming started.  
  
"I think I just saw something in you..." Sandra suddenly interrupted, "I don't know what it is... But I feel as if... as if I met you for a reason..."  
  
"That's nonsense!" Ming answered in a contemptuous tone, "If you've got nothing better to say, go away! Do it before I have to kill you..."  
  
"Then why haven't you done so yet, Ming?" Sandra suddenly asked, "I know who you really are. I could lead the police to you. Why haven't you done it yet, Ming?"  
  
It was Ming's turn to turn his face away, not really knowing the reason either, "Because you're the kindest person I've ever met..." he suddenly blurted out, surprised at himself that he could ever say that to an enemy, "But don't push it. I am still your enemy."  
  
"How?" Sandra suddenly asked as she moved to face Ming, "How did we become enemies? How?"  
  
"Because you people in the Federation are murderers!!!" Ming suddenly shouted in reply, finally losing his temper, "My parents died of sickness because your blasted Colony Management jacked up medicine prices and taxed us till we became impoverished. My two brothers died fighting YOUR soldiers. And my sister... she... she..."  
  
"What Ming?" Sandra replied, her face now equally angry and serious, "What did we do to her?"  
  
"They killed her in cold blood along with my uncle. And he was a DIPLOMAT. A helpless diplomat..." Ming said slowly and clearly in reply, letting his anger and hate creep into his voice, "It's something that YOU'LL never understand..."  
  
"How are you sure Ming?" Sandra asked as her voice weakened slightly, "How are you sure... that I wouldn't?"  
  
"Because you haven't had to go through the lost I had to Sandra," Ming replied, breathing heavily, "You don't know the pain, you don't know the..."  
  
Sandra turned away before he could finish that statement, before saying, "You haven't really seen the real me, have you?" A tear then slowly rolled off her cheek as she turned to face him again, "You haven't really seen the real me yet. The one I've been trying to hide from you. The one in me who's still trying to deal with the pain and loss..."  
  
"Sandra?" Ming asked, his mouth remaining wide open, shocked at her words.  
  
"Just go if you want to Ming," Sandra answered coldly in reply as she turned her back on Ming, "But you won't find what you're looking for. Take it from me. I know."  
  
Ming stared at her for a moment, shocked at her sudden change in personality. It was indeed a side of her he had never seen. But he was free now, wasn't he? He quickly turned to leave. But her last words kept clinging in his mind.  
-  
"Grenade!!!" a Federal machinegunner screamed as he saw one of the hand held explosive devices start arcing towards his machine gun nest. It fell right beside him and exploded on contact. Pieces of him and his machinegun nest were flying in the air a second later.  
  
"Alright, that's it!" Major Gibbons declared as he saw a hole finally develop in the Federal lines, "Stark, get going!!!"  
  
Jake just barely nodded as he jumped out of his trench and started darting through the opening in the Federal lines. He was quickly followed by the rest of the pilots and their support team, but before they could get far a grenade suddenly landed in their midst and exploded, killing two of the pilots and three other men.  
  
"Take this you Zeek s!!!" a new voice suddenly declared from behind as another grenade landed in the midst of the Zeon troops. Before it could explode, one of the soldiers jumped over the grenade and covered it, taking for himself the blast that had been meant for his comrades.  
  
"Damn!!!" Jake muttered as he quickly turned around and saw a civilian wearing a Federation cap on his head. He pulled out his pistol a second faster than their assailant, who quickly fell dead with a well-aimed shot to the head. Three other similarly armed and dressed civilians went down in a matter of seconds, gunned down by the group's riflemen.  
  
"Oh my God... Tagore!!!" one of his pilots declared as he turned over Tagore's dead body. It had been him that had taken the grenade, and now the field was growing red with his blood...  
  
"! Forget about him!" Gibbons ordered, "We may have hostile civilians in the area! Start shooting armed ones on sight!"  
  
Jake quickly grimaced in disapproval before taking a quick look at Tagore. He was certainly dead. Just like how Vince and the rest of his unit back then... They all died because they all didn't have the sense not to turn back and run away...  
  
"Stark! What are you doing?" Gibbons suddenly called in an annoyed tone, "Get to those Mobile Suits!!!"  
-  
"Oh ..." O'Connor muttered to himself as he saw his patrol get annihilated by the resistance group. They HAD killed a few, but now they were all dead. Damn that idiot Jennings!!! he thought angrily. If he wasn't so damn gung-ho all the time...  
  
His radio suddenly crackled, and an uneasy voice spoke from his speaker, "This is Captain Romanov. Why aren't the machinegunners responding?"  
  
Great, O'Connor thought, and now this crazy Titans Captain... "This is O'Connor. The machine gun nests just got wasted sir. A few of our troopers are still holding out in their foxholes, but a big group of bad guys are heading right towards you. Fast." -  
"Damn..." Ivan muttered to himself as he heard the report. They'd win if they had Mobile Suits, but his pilots were stuck thanks to those snipers. The same snipers who were trying to take aim at him as well. Damn those spacenoids, trying to kill him all the time... what am I supposed to...  
  
"Sir, we need to help that guy," Lieutenant Kyle suggested as he pointed to Terry, "He won't last long if we don't."  
  
"Don't risk your life for a spacenoid," Ivan muttered in reply.  
  
"But sir..." Kyle started.  
  
"I said DON'T risk your..." Ivan started again, this time letting annoyance creep into this voice.  
  
" that! Come on! We've been doing nothing but bull since we've joined the Titans sir!" Kyle interrupted angrily, "Sir, the Titans are here to protect Earth," Kyle declared proudly, "I didn't join this outfit to be a thug. I joined it to protect people. And that's what I'm going to do," he suddenly jumped out of cover and started running towards Terry. Ivan's four other officers quickly shared a look.  
  
"This is crazy..." one of them started.  
  
"But... ! What the hell..." the senior one suddenly said as he quickly followed Kyle. The other three then followed as well, leaving a shocked Ivan all alone in the trench.  
-  
"Are they nuts?!?!" Jin shouted as he saw five Titans officers, all out in the open and heading for Terry, "Get back you morons, don't..."  
  
A shot suddenly rang out, and one of them fell to the ground.  
  
"!" Jin swore as another shot rang out and another one fell to the ground, though the other three had made it to Terry. It was something he had never expected from that sorry bunch. They were trying... really trying... to save somebody else? To be... heroes?  
  
Yet another shot rang out, and the blood of a third began to flow on the ground. But Terry was now slowly being dragged away...  
  
"Let's go!" Jin suddenly declared as he jumped out of the ditch and started running all the way towards the hangars. Another Titan fell just as he took a few steps, but this did not deter him any longer. If we're going to die... he thought, it might as well be trying... He was suddenly followed by the rest of the pilots, all thinking the same thing.  
-  
"Come on..." Kyle encouraged as he slowly pulled Terry out of the harm's way. They were almost there... Almost...  
  
He suddenly felt something both hot and cold smashing through his chest, irrevocably knocking the wind out of him. As he started to fall to the ground, his brain managed to note in disappointment that they had failed. They had all died and yet...  
  
"Don't give up yet..." a new voice suddenly encouraged as a new hand grabbed Terry. It was Ivan.  
  
"Sir..." Kyle started as he looked into Ivan's face. Ivan looked back with a sad, almost regretful look on his face. Was he... was he trying to say sorry? It was something, he knew, he would never find out.  
-  
"What a gallant display..." Gustav remarked as he saw the sixth black clad officer start dragging the injured one away. But it would all be in vain... He was just about to fire another shot when he sensed somebody behind him.  
  
"Take this you Zeek murderers!!!" Alejandro shouted out loud as he started to swing his shovel at Gustav's head.  
  
Gustav quickly turned around and produced a pistol, but before he could the shovel struck his face. He fell down on the ground, dazed and bleeding, but still conscious. Alejandro prepared a second blow, but before he could Gustav suddenly shot him in the stomach, and the old man quickly fell on the ground.  
  
"Not bad... old man..." Gustav noted as he tried to get up, still aiming his gun at the wounded Alejandro.  
  
"Finish it you Zeek murderer," Alejandro said under his breath as he stared at the pistol aimed at him. Gustav only seemed too happy to acknowledge...  
  
"No," a new female voice suddenly declared coldly before a shot rang out, and Gustav quickly dropped dead on the ground.  
  
"Who... who..." Alejandro asked as he looked at the woman's sad face. She was trying hard to hide it... but she still seemed so sad... So unlike his own daughter... Was she the angel who had come to pick him up? To let him be with them again?  
  
"I'm Lieutenant Sylvie Gressier," Sylvie told him as she set her gun down and tried to help, her hands shaking as she did so. Taking a life had never been this hard for her before, despite her attempts to detach herself from her emotions. Here was real blood. Real people. Not just a bunch of giant robots duking it out in space...  
  
"Don't bother with me..." Alejandro replied weakly, "There are still three others like him... My boys are trying to put them away but.. I think they might need your help to..."  
  
"I understand," Sylvie replied, "But please, don't worry..."  
  
"Young lady..." Alejandro said as he tried to extend a hand out to her. Sylvie quickly took it and held it gently with her own. Just so, he knew, that he wasn't alone... "I've lived long enough I think... Lived long enough hurt and alone... Stop those killers from making more people like me... Please..."  
  
Sylvie sighed as she looked at the man's face. It was... so much like her's. Sad. Alone. Just wanting... to be with his loved ones again... She quickly nodded in reply, to which Alejandro returned with one last smile. He then closed his eyes for the last time...  
  
Sylvie quickly wiped away a tear that had welled up despite her best efforts and picked up Gustav's sniper rifle. There were three other snipers still out there, she knew, and she had to get them fast.  
-  
"Move faster!" Major Natalie ordered her men as she could see smoke rising from her base. The alert call had come as she had feared, but resistance was tougher than expected. A LOT tougher. She was now on the way with more men, but at the rate they were going.  
-  
Unknown to Sylvie, Alejandro's men had already done most of the work for her. Two of the offending snipers had already been beaten to death by his crew, while the third had been seriously injured before he could kill his assailant. Unfortunately for him, Sylvie had already spotted him, and had now dialed his head onto her sights...  
  
The Zeon sniper had just barely recovered from a blow to his head when a bullet ricochet just inches away from his face. He quickly ducked back down and muttered a curse, realizing that the Feddies now had a sniper of their own...  
  
"Damn..." Sylvie muttered under her breath as she tried to keep her hands from shaking. This was one thing she had never tried before. To handle a sniper rifle like Max would have done. And it was scaring her... Scaring her for reasons that she could not understand...  
  
The Zeon private quickly grabbed his sniper rifle, and started to crawl from his present location. He needed to find that sniper, fast, and he needed to move to gain an advantage over him...  
  
"Was it this hard, Max?" Sylvie thought out loud as she began to control her shaking hand by breathing in slowly, all the while searching the rooftop for the Zeon sniper. She momentarily wondered how it would have been like on the receiving end, not knowing you're being watched and about to be shot... But she quickly shoved those thoughts away. They were distracting her and making her hands shake a bit more, something she could not afford to happen.  
  
There... the Zeon sniper thought. Too bad, a pretty woman too... He quickly started crawling to one end of the rooftop, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed.  
-  
"Damn... I didn't think we'd make it..." Jin remarked as he reached the hangar in one piece, along with the rest of the surviving pilots. The sudden disappearance of those snipers was a welcome surprise, and he wondered who it might be...  
  
"Come on! Get on them already!!!" a bloodied mechanic suddenly declared as he arrived with a light submachinegun, "Some of my boys are trying to hold those Zeeks for the moment, but at this rate..."  
  
A series of mortar shells suddenly exploded off in the distance, followed by the screams of several men. The mechanic muttered a curse as he realized the death of his comrades.  
  
"Alright, we're going!!!" Jin declared as he started ascending towards the cockpit, along with the rest of the pilots who were also manning their Mobile Suits. It shouldn't have been like this, he thought as he looked at the wounded mechanic. He suddenly fell to his knees and collapsed on the ground, succumbing to the shock and his injuries. Those mechanics hadn't been trained for something like this. Their job was just to fix these machines and let others do the killing... But they went anyway... And now they were all gone...  
  
The cockpit of his GM Cannon II finally came to view, and its doors opened in front of him. He quickly stepped inside and started turning on the controls. In any case now, he thought, he wouldn't let it all be in vain.  
-  
"There you are..." the Zeon sniper muttered to himself as he put spotted Sylvie again. He slowly began to extend his sniper rifle, hoping he wouldn't be spotted...  
  
Damn... Sylvie thought as her hands shook even more. I don't have nerves like him... I can pilot well enough but...  
  
She suddenly spotted a glint to her left and she instinctively brought her sniper rifle around to face it. What she saw next was the barrel of a rifle, now aimed right at her head. And an enemy sniper slowly squeezing the trigger.  
--------------------------- Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	11. Chapter 11: Morality

Chapter 11: Morality  
  
This is it... Sylvie thought as she saw the enemy sniper, closing her eyes as she did so. Max...  
  
"Gotcha..." the Zeon sniper muttered as he pulled the trigger. A bout of flame erupting from his gun's barrel soon followed.  
  
In the split second that followed, Sylvie finally let her mind wander, sighing mentally at her own sad life as she did so. But at least, now... She was finally going to be put out of her misery; she would finally be able to have peace. Whether it was with him or in eternal darkness...  
  
Then, something happened that she didn't expect. Her body had begun to move on its own. To move to try to get away from the coming bullet. She just let it be, knowing that there was no way she could...  
  
"What the hell?!" the Zeon sniper suddenly said outloud as he saw what happened. It was impossible... She couldn't have...  
  
But she did. Incredibly, to her own amazement, she had evaded the bullet she had thought to have her name already written on it. But only by a whisker, as she could still feel the heat as it had passed only millimeters away from her head. And with that, a sudden urge came back to her to live. She centered the sniper on her sights...  
  
Oh God... the sniper thought as he saw the gun aimed at him. He started to swing his gun towards Sylvie as fast as he could...  
  
But not fast enough. Sylvie pulled the trigger, and was rewarded by a puff of red that appeared on the back of the enemy sniper's head. For a moment, it seemed as if he was still alive, but then the lifeless body dropped down onto the ground, out of sight, save for a trail of blood that marked where he had once been.  
  
Sylvie took another deep breath as she realized what had happened. Six now... she thought. The sixth person I've killed in my life. Six. Her hands shook as before, but now she had quickly regained control over it, and her conscience no longer asked questions. I really am nothing but a cold hearted killer now... she realized to herself sadly. Just a taker of lives... Just waiting to kill, or be killed... A heartless, soulless...  
  
She turned around as she felt the need to leave, dropping the rifle as she did so, not wanting to continue the thought. But then suddenly saw two sights that would change her mind, and her fate, forever. The first was of the bullet that had so nearly taken off her head. She was so certain that she would die at that time, yet she hadn't... how...?  
  
That urge to live... she thought... Max? Are you still watching over me? Where you the one who showed me I could have lived through that? Or was it you? Shielding me from harm as you always did? Are you still trying to keep your promise? To love me, always...?  
  
The second sight was of the old man that had died, the one that had tried to stop that Zeon sniper from taking any more lives. From making... more people like him... And they were both the same, weren't they? Two sad people... biding their time, waiting only for death...  
  
Sylvie took a final deep breathe as her heart made its choice. She picked up the rifle once again and started aiming in the direction of the base. He was right. In fact, they were both right. She guessed that fate had indeed dealt her an interesting hand, no matter how much she didn't want it or how much it tore her apart. But she had already seen the path. In fact, she had been walking just beside it since he had left her all alone, but had always been afraid to really walk in it, just as he had done. But not anymore. To stop more tears. Even if it would only be for others. Never for herself...  
  
A soldier wearing a Zeon uniform entered her sights, running towards the hangars. She waited a second, tapping the trigger lightly.  
-  
"Wait..." Jake warned as the Federal hangar came in sight. Something was wrong... very wrong...  
  
"Shut up you..." one of his "fellow" pilots started when a bullet smashed into the back of his skull and cut him short. Jake stared dumbfounded at the dead body for a moment, before realizing that a sniper was out there, and targeting HIM.  
  
"..." Sylvie muttered to herself as her second target jumped down into a ditch and out of her sights. A smart one, she thought, and she didn't have time to deal with him yet. She quickly shifted her sights to another target and squeezed off another round.  
  
Jake watched as a second Zeon soldier fall dead from the sniper's bullet and muttered a curse. But something STILL felt wrong. It wasn't the sniper that he had noticed... It was something else... Or was it just the fear again, he thought. The fear that he had come to known, since that dark December day at A Bao A Qu...  
  
A third Zeon soldier suddenly fell dead as the sniper fired another shot, but the rest were still ignoring Sylvie. They were all bent in a headlong rush towards the hangars...  
  
Jake didn't know what to do... If he tried to peek out of the ditch, the sniper might get him. If he stayed here, the others... Just like Vincent... just like the Captain...  
  
"Oh my God! Run!!!" one of the Zeon pilots suddenly shouted at the top of his voice. It was soon followed by a series of massive explosions, one that threw up an enormous cloud of dirt that soon covered Jake's ditch. Jake quickly began to stand up, choking from the dust, before turning to where the rest of the team was...  
  
...or what was left of them. He stared dumbfounded into a field now soaked with blood from the bodies of the dead and dying. Everybody was down, victim of half a dozen explosive shells that had been fired in their direction. And Jake realized what he had been fearing as a green mono-sensor began to flash in his direction. They had lost the race to get those Mobile Suits... and now, they had just lost their lives as well...  
  
"For pity's sake don't!!!" Jin suddenly ordered the lead GM Kai pilot as he aimed for the sole living survivor. Firing on those men out in the open, and seeing them get blown apart had horrified him. He had seen death before, even taken some lives as well, but never like this...  
  
"Shut up!" the pilot growled back as he pointed to the burning base, "How many of OUR friends are dead because of them? How many of us have been blown apart like that!? I've had enough! I'm going to..."  
  
"Shoot an unarmed man in the back while he's running away?!" Jin shot back, "We don't do that!"  
  
"This is war," the pilot muttered back as he switched his attention back to the fleeing Jake, " happens..."  
  
Jake only glanced back momentarily as he ran with all his might, only to see the GM Kai aiming its machine gun right at him. He suddenly felt as if all the world had just exploded around him.  
-  
"Lucky guy..." Sylvie muttered to herself as she saw the sole surviving Zeon pilot manage to get up again after being thrown off his feet by a few 90mm shells that had exploded yards from his location. He started running again, and barely managed to find some cover before a second volley nearly blew him to pieces. But the cover didn't shield him from her, and now...  
  
"This is Sergeant Shang!" an excited voice reported over the radio, "Captain Gressier! We have a situation here!!!" the sound of gunfire quickly followed his voice.  
  
Sylvie muttered a slight curse as she decided to let the guy go. He would probably be caught anyway, and it would have been a needless waste of ammunition. Her greater concern for ammunition rather than another human being's welfare suddenly entered her mind and caused her to shudder internally, but she quickly swallowed to get rid of the thought. She was needed by others who needed her help, and she had to do it quickly.  
-  
"Find me a working radio!!!" Captain Ivan ordered as he ran around what was left of the base's barracks. His original radio had already petered out thanks to its only partially charged battery, and he needed to re-establish contact with the others, quickly. Natalie would need all the information she could get once she arrived with the reinforcements, and that Private O'Connor was certainly good at providing it. However, he also needed to...  
  
"Here sir!" a Federal private reported as he handed Ivan a compact two-way radio, already set to O'Connor's frequency.  
  
"Good!" Ivan replied as he took the radio from the private, "What's your name private?'  
  
"Jenkins sir..." the private replied nervously, partly from the shock of the battle and partly because of his fear of the unruly Ivan.  
  
"Jenkins, take a few more men with you to find and take care of the wounded," Ivan ordered as he pointed to an emergency casualty station that now held six wounded men, including Terry, "And find me a good Sergeant to get a few men together for a counter-attack. We may have our Mobile Suits now, but we'd better get some infantry men to support them."  
  
"Umm... yes sir..." Jenkins replied, surprised. That pig-headed, murderous Ivan, ACTUALLY ordering him to help the wounded? Was he suffering from a concussion or...?  
  
"Then get moving already!" Ivan ordered, and Jenkins quickly began to do as he was told. Ivan let out a slight sigh as he realized that he should have been like this before, and not an arrogant, paranoid officer that he had once been. Kyle had shown him that, and it had cost him his life just to make him see it.  
  
Ivan shook his head. This wasn't the time for regret either. It was time for him to be what the men needed right now. A leader. He quickly contacted O'Connor, who already had fresh information to give to his new commander.  
-  
"Those dirty s..." Sergeant Shang muttered as he used a mirror to slowly view the terrain around the corner. He and his men had almost reached the building that held the rebel's mortars, but now he had a big problem. A very big problem. A playground lay between him and the Zeon troops, and three children were still on it and didn't have the sense to run off as most of the town's citizenry had done when the shooting had started. Probably because they were being held hostage by those Zeeks. Cowards.  
  
"Get out of here you kids!!!" Zeon Sergeant Horton whispered as he saw the young trio still cowering under a few monkey bars. This was terrible, he thought, and it was getting worse and worse. Not only had he run out of mortar shells, but now his only escape route was also barred by Feddies and three innocent children. And if the Federal Force, who vastly outnumbered his own group, started an attack...  
  
"We can't leave..." a scared young voice said back, "My sister's too scared! She wouldn't move!"  
  
"God damn it kid, tell your ing sister to get out of here or we might..." Sergeant Horton started before a shot wrang off. Suddenly, one of his men fell dead from the rooftop, his head a mass of red from a bullet that had struck his head. A second shot followed, and another body tumbled down from the rooftop.  
  
And then there was screaming. Screaming as the bodies fell almost on top of the three children, splattering them with some of the blood as they did so. Before Horton could try something else to calm them down, a third shot rang out, and a third body fell on the children, who by then were screaming at the top of their lungs.  
  
"Sniper sir!!!" one of Horton's men reported as he met the Sergeant on the ground floor, followed by several other men.  
  
"How many did he get?" Horton asked, now trying to make gestures to the screaming children.  
  
"Four," the man reported, "One of the bloody bullets killed two of ours. We're down to six men sir."  
  
Horton muttered a curse as the kids still refused to move and continued to scream . He didn't want to start shooting to make them keep quiet, but at this rate...  
  
"!" Shang muttered as he saw one of the Zeon soldiers seemingly start drawing his gun. If that guy suddenly went on a rage after losing his men... "Alright men, get ready!" Shang ordered, "We have to save those kids!!!"  
  
Horton was about to fire some warning shots into the air when a group of men suddenly rounded the corner and fired on him. He quickly ducked and avoided their fire, but several of his men were killed or wounded by their attack. Horton and his surviving men quickly crawled to some cover, before firing back at their assailants. A grenade suddenly landed behind Horton, which quickly exploded and killed two more of his men. Realizing that it would soon be hopeless, Horton and his remaining men slowly began to crawl away, hoping beyond hope that they could escape...  
  
"Damn it, don't use grena..." Shang started as some of his men had begun chucking a few of those explosive devices at the Zeon positions. To his horror, one of the grenades flew too high on its arc, and began to fall right on the kids...  
  
Caring less for his own safety, Shang quickly dashed towards the trio and jumped right over them, covering the three with his own body. Then, he simply prayed... prayed that it wouldn't land on him and...  
  
But then a shot wrang out, and the grenade exploded well above Shang who was only hit by a few pieces of shrapnel. Shang, wounded but still alive, began to stand up slowly, and saw to his relief that all three children were alive. Shocked out of their wits, but alive. But that grenade... how...?  
  
"That was close..." Sylvie suddenly observed over the radio as she breathe out a sigh of relief. She couldn't believe she had just done that. It was impossible. It was just freaking impossible. But her instincts and reflexes had simply told her to fire, and against all odds she had hit the grenade and caused it to explode well above Shang. Or was it him again? He could have done it... And he had taught her a bit. But she couldn't have learned THAT fast...  
  
"Uhh... Thanks Captain..." Shang managed to say in reply as he also marveled at what had happened. That Sylvie was either insanely lucky, he thought, or insanely talented. Little wonder she was a Captain with her own custom Mobile Suit despite her age and gender...  
  
"Mommy..." one the kids began to whimper, wetting his pants as he did so. Shang sighed as he gently patted the kids in the back. Kids...  
  
"Would you like me to help, Sergeant?" a young woman suddenly asked as she appeared in front of Shang, carrying a medikit with her.  
  
"Who are you?" Shang asked up at the woman, slightly suspicious to who she was.  
  
"Doctor Sandra Miller," the lady replied in a cool, analytical tone, "Do you need anything for your wounds?"  
  
Shang was about to say no when he felt a stinging pain in his back. He might need it, but with his men...  
  
"We can handle them Sarge," one of his men suddenly advised as he slammed a fresh cartridge into his submachinegun, "Captain Gressier is on her way, and sir, we'd probably need somebody to babaysit those kids..."  
  
"Not to mention you're bleeding rather badly from your wounds," Sandra added, "As a doctor, I'm ORDERING you to stay."  
  
Shang gave out a loud sigh of defeat before nodding his head. However... "Just make sure you don't let them escape, alright?"  
  
"We won't, sir!"  
-  
"Drop it!" one of Shang's men ordered as he saw a Zeon Sergeant trying to slink away, firing a few warning shots for good measure as he did so.  
  
Horton muttered a curse. He didn't want to get captured. He was a soldier of Zeon. But seeing all his men die, and facing the uncertainty of death...  
  
"I said drop it!" the soldier repeated.  
  
Horton slumped his shoulders down as he dropped his rifle. He then slowly turned around and threw his hands into the air. It was over, he realized. It was over. Two men from the Federal Forces then stepped forward, taking the defeated Sergeant into custody.  
-  
"Damn it, what happened to Jake and his team?!" Major Gibbons muttered angrily as his men took the last of the foxholes. The base's defenders had been all but annihilated, but Jake had not returned as expected with the Mobile Suits. And to make matters worse, both Gustav and Horton weren't responding to their calls...  
  
"There they are!!!" one of his men reported jubilantly as he pointed to a trio of giant humanoid machines now slowly moving towards their location.  
  
Gibbons nearly ventured into a smile until he saw something else that sent chills up his spine. It was Jake.  
  
"Run!!! Run!!!" Jake shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran towards Gibbon's men, "Those are..."  
  
Gibbons was about to order his men to do the same when he saw one of the GM Kais aim its weapon right at them. He turned and began to jump into one of the foxholes for cover. Too late.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	12. Chapter 12: Civilian Losses

Chapter 12: Civilian Losses  
  
Dec. 14, UC 0083 Task Force 16 Flagship, EFSFS Yamashiro, somewhere near Side 2  
  
Faster... Major General Dolvich thought to himself as his ships, a total of two battleships, four cruisers and a pair of transports, sped towards the embattled Santa Fe base. Come on... he thought, I need to get there now... I need to make sure...  
  
"Sir! We have a transmission from high command!" the Yamashiro's chief communication officer reported as he pressed the headphones into his ear, "The Nevada sir! She's changing course!"  
  
"What?!" General Dolvich demanded as he got up from the command chair. Outside, the battleship Nevada slowly began to change her heading, followed by the brand new Salamis class cruisers Queen Mary and Gneseinau, along with the Columbus class transport Austin carrying most of their reinforcing troops...  
  
"Sir, we've also got a situation in Side 6," the chief explained, "A few Delaz rebels seem to be escaping in a couple of shuttles, destination unknown. They're sending the Nevada in pursuit..."  
  
"What about Santa Fe then?!" General Dolvich shot back angrily, "Don't they know a battle is already going on there?!"  
  
"They say that the Warspite is on her way along with her escorts Moltke and Phoenix," the chief continued as he began to print out the message, "She'll be there in six hours. The Agincourt and her escorts New Zealand and Invincible will arrive two hours after the Warspite as well. Sorry sir, those orders come straight from the top," the chief apologized, knowing the General must have been worried about his daughter.  
  
"Damn..." Dolvich muttered as he scanned through the message. It was bad enough that additional reinforcements would be delayed, but they would be bringing along that racist Nicolo as well. To make matters even worse, they just HAD to send the Agincourt, of all the damn ships they could have sent to replace the Nevada, the damn "Gin Palace". Though a pretty powerful revision of the Magellan class warship on paper, being longer and carrying a few more turrets and guns than the originals, she proved from the start to be nothing more than a spacious, lightly armored death trap suitable only for serving flag officers or showing it off in naval reviews. And it was just damn bad luck that the much better Birmingham got finished ahead of her for the naval review...  
  
"Sir, the Lion, Von Der Tann and Newport are signaling us," the chief added, "What should we do sir?"  
  
"We still have 200 soldiers on the Newport," Dolvich replied somberly, wishing that it would be enough, "That may still make the difference. Tell all remaining ships to continue on course, maximum speed."  
-  
Blood... so much blood... Major Gibbons thought as he looked around the bloody field around him. His men... all blown to pieces... right in front of him...  
  
"Come on sir! Let's go!!!" Jake encouraged as he started to pull the Major away from his foxhole. His hand quickly became sticky with blood.  
  
"Blood..." Major Gibbons suddenly said out loud as he stood out of his foxhole, letting more blood gush out of his own grievous wounds. Before Jake could do anything the Major suddenly pushed his hand away and began to stagger towards the enemy Mobile Suits, producing a pistol as he did so...  
  
"My God sir don't..." Jake started.  
  
"Leave'm!!!" a panicking Zeon soldier interrupted, "He's lost it!!!"  
  
"But..." Jake started as he watched the Major continue to stagger towards the enemy Mobile Suits, wildly firing his pistol at them as he did so. Suddenly, one of the GMs began to aim its machine gun towards the Major's position...  
  
"I said come on!!!" the panicked Zeon soldier shouted as he quickly pulled Jake out of the way and out of sight of the Major. The sounds of a scream and explosions soon followed.  
-  
"Damn it, I said HOLD YOUR FIRE!!!" Jin ordered angrily as another Zeon soldier was blown apart by now the vengeance obsessed GM pilots. This was turning into murder, and if they weren't stopped soon...  
  
"Shut your trap up you piss a Lieutenant!" the GM Kai squad leader shotback as he fired on a few intact corpses still lying in the field, "They deserve to die! All of them!" he then turned his machine gun towards the direction of the town, "All of them!!!"  
  
"But..." Jin started before he realized that the crazed pilot was aiming for the town. Before he could stop him, a volley of 90mm shells were already heading for the town.  
-  
"Holy !!!" O'Connor screamed as he saw the flashes from the one of the GM's guns. A trio of 90mm shells suddenly whizzed high above him and landed in several buildings behind him. Before he could try or say anything further, another series of shells flew over him, causing more explosions and sending debris flying into the air...  
  
"Private O'Connor! What the just happened?!" an angry voice asked. It was Ivan.  
  
"The bloody GM pilots have gone nuts sir!!!" O'Connor shouted back as several more explosion occurred behind him, "They're blasting the town all to hell!"  
  
"I'll put a stop to it," Ivan replied calmly, "Keep me posted on the damage," he continued before signing off.  
  
"Good luck..." O'Connor muttered into the dead radio as he began to survey the damage. Not too bad yet, he thought. Only an abandoned warehouse and an empty apartment complex... but the next wrecked building he saw made his face as pale as snow. It was the school.  
-  
"My God..." Sylvie said out loud as she saw the burning buildings within the town. What... What the hell...  
  
Behind me... Sylvie suddenly thought. She quickly turned around and saw a Zeon soldier carrying a heavy assault rifle. She quickly whipped up her pistol and put two bullets into his head.  
  
Another sudden thought entered her mind. To my left... she thought, and she quickly turned and saw another Zeon soldier, this one trying to aim his rifle at her. He managed to fire a few shots over her head, but it was too late. She fired a shot that landed in the middle of his forehead.  
  
Another one, she thought again. Behind me again... she quickly turned and began to aim her pistol, but before she could fire a trio of bullets suddenly ripped through his chest and killed him instantly.  
  
"Hello, Captain," a cool female voice declared as she stepped out into Sylvie's view. It was Natalie, carrying a heavy rifle as though it was a mere plastic toy.  
  
"Hello Major..." Sylvie managed to start in reply before she fired a shot that passed just over the Major's shoulder. A Zeon soldier quickly slumped dead behind the senior officer.  
  
"What's the situation so far?" the Major inquired quickly as she shrugged off her near brush with death, not even bothering to look at the newly dead body behind her.  
  
"Well..." Sylvie started a little nervously as she saw the Major's face. It was remarkably firm, with her eyes as cold as steel. As though the whole bloody battle was merely an everyday event to be shrugged off...  
  
"Well?" the Major asked a little impatiently as she began to survey the damage to the town herself, careful to note the 90mm shells still flying above.  
  
"Sorry mam," Sylvie apologized as she put her thoughts together, "We've managed to get our Mobile Suits and force those Zeeks to fall back, but one of those GM pilots have gone crazy and started to fire indiscriminately at the town. We're trying to stop him but..."  
  
"I'll handle it," Natalie replied coolly, "And what are YOU doing here alone?"  
  
"Sorry mam," Sylvie reported, "We split the platoon up to hunt down those rebels, and I got separated from my squad a couple of minutes ago. I still don't know where they are mam."  
  
"Let's find out," Natalie replied coolly as she whistled. Six Federal soldiers quickly came to view, each carrying a heavy weapon of some sort, "In the meantime, stay with my squad. Let's get as many of them before they could get away."  
  
"Yes mam..." Sylvie agreed as one of the soldiers handed her an assault rifle. It was heavier than she thought, but she didn't let it bother her anymore. Sylvie followed as Natalie ordered them to move forward...  
  
Natalie took a quick glance at Sylvie as she began to search for her radio. She needed to call those Mobile Suits, lest they cause even more casualties. But still... the way Sylvie shot those Zeon soldiers... It was so fast... faster than she should have been able to. Could she? It was something she would have to check on soon.  
-  
"Look... calm down..." Jin started as he swallowed. All efforts he had made to stop the crazed GM squad leader had failed, and now the guy was aiming the gun at HIM...  
  
"Sir, this isn't really smart..." one of the squad leader's subordinates, one that was a little cooler than the rest of them, agreed. The rest of the squad though, still seemed a bit undecided...  
  
"Shut up, I wasn't talking to you..." the squad leader shot back as he began to tighten his grip on the trigger, "I've lost enough friends, and if you..."  
  
"Lieutenant, PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPON!" Ivan suddenly interrupted as he shouted into the radio, "Put it down or I will court martial you right here and now!"  
  
"To hell with that! I've..." the squad leader started.  
  
"Lieutenant Lee," Ivan started calmly, "If he does not cooperate him shoot him for insubordination! I will NOT have more casualties to fill his ego!"  
  
You're a fine one to talk... Jin and most of the other pilots thought at Ivan's final remark but did not say outloud. Unfortunately, the squad leader was having other thoughts...  
  
"You wouldn't dare..." the squad leader declared as he looked at Jin's eyes. They were beginning to fill with fear even as he tightened his grip on the trigger...  
  
"For the last time, stand down or I WILL order Jin to shoot you..." Ivan repeated.  
  
"I..." Jin started as he swallowed again and began to center the offending GM in his sights, his hands shaking more violently as he did so...  
  
"This is O'Connor!" the private suddenly intruded, "Dear God! I need help out here! The school's been blown all to pieces! The kids... the kids..."  
  
"Wha... What kids?" the squad leader suddenly responded, as if just being awoken from a long sleep...  
  
"What kids???!!!" O'Connor shouted into the radio, his voice filled with rage, "How DARE you even ask that when you were the ing hole who started chucking shells all over the place!!! I have two dead six year olds in my lap and YOU DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU WERE DOING?! You ING MURDERER!?"  
  
"I... I..." the shocked squad leader started, his GM now dropping its weapon to the ground.  
  
"Thank you O'Connor..." Ivan muttered to himself, glad that the Private had diffused the situation. He REALLY deserved a lot for his actions this day... "Jin, you're in command of the squad now," Ivan ordered, "Hold your positions and let the infantrymen handle the job. And keep an eye on our little squad leader..."  
  
"Yes sir..." Jin replied as he breathe out a long sigh of relief. One of the GM now took the defeated squad leader's weapon and was keeping a close eye on him... At least the stand off was over...  
  
But... Jin realized as his stomach turned, it didn't stop soon enough for those kids... Oh God... he realized to himself. What if I had stopped him earlier...? This wouldn't have happened... this wouldn't have happened at all... It's my fault... Oh God... It's my fault isn't it? I should have stopped him... Should have.  
-  
It was a scene straight from hell... O'Connor thought weakly to himself as he surveyed the macabre landscape around him. The school building had been demolished, its two-story frame collapsing on top of each other as though it was a pair of cards. There wasn't a lot of people inside, he knew, since it was time for the Christmas break...  
  
But not outside. The school had the largest playground in the town, and the kids played there often, he knew. And today, it was a fatal decision for many of them. Four dead children lay in the playground, all killed by flying shrapnel from the exploding school building. Others may have had the sense to have taken cover in a shelter just beside the school, but a 90mm shell had smashed right into it and turned the former shelter into a massive crater. O'Connor did not have the courage to look what was inside...  
  
Suddenly, he saw an unfamiliar form move off in the corner of his eye. He focused his vision on it and saw that it was a fleeing Zeon soldier, still carrying a dangerous, life-taking firearm with him. There was no hesitation. He aimed his pistol and fired.  
-  
Two... Jake thought. My God, only two...  
  
"Sir... what do we do?" the young, shaky private known to Jake only as Yun asked. He quickly looked over to his only other surviving companion, a Sergeant Picton, who was bleeding out of his abdomen and was at the point of trying to keep his guts from falling out. It was a sight that had already made Yun vomit twice.  
  
"I... I don't know..." Jake said in reply as he tried to find somewhere that they could hide. Federal troops were everywhere now, and the chances of getting caught were dramatically increasing by the moment...  
  
"Leave..." Picton breathed as he coughed out some blood, "Go..."  
  
"I won't..." Jake said outloud suddenly, "Not again..."  
  
"No choice..." Picton breathed in reply.  
  
"Maybe..." Yun started as tears began to form in his eyes...  
  
"No," Jake replied firmly, "I said not again..."  
  
"Sir?"  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. -  
As for the new ship names I've used... (special thanks to for the info). For this fic, the majority of ship names are of WWI ships, since I'd like to continue with the Zeta fic using WWII ship names instead:-).  
  
Moltke- a German battlecruiser, served during WWI at Jutland.  
  
Phoenix-one of the extremely tough Brooklyn class American light cruisers, they were so tough none were lost despite numerous kamikaze attacks during WWII, and nearly all found themselves serving in other countries well after WWII. It proved to be the Phoenix's undoing, however, as this ship was given to Argentina and renamed the General Belgrano, which promptly gets sunk by the sub HMS Conqueror in the Falklands War.  
  
Lion- a British WWI battlecruiser and the flagship of the battlecruiser force headed by Admiral Beatty. Nearly blown up at Jutland had the gun crews(over a hundred men) not sacrificed themselves to keep the magazines from exploding.  
  
Von Der Tann - a WWI German battlecruiser. She sank a Brit battlecruiser at Jutland.  
  
Queen Mary- a luckless British battlecruiser, sunk by a magazine hit(in other words, the ship pretty much spontaneously combusts...) at the Battle of Jutland. Only 20 crew survived.  
  
Gneseinau- sister ship of the Scharnhorst. Unlike her more famous sister who was sunk in battle, she ended her career being used as a blockship. There was also an armored cruiser named Gneseinau in WWI, also sister ship to another Scharnhorst, who initially won the Battle of the Coronel before being sunk with the rest of her squadron at the Battle of the Falkland Islands.  
  
New Zealand- a Brit WWI Battlecruiser, financed by New Zealand and so named after that country.  
  
Invincible- An ill-fated British battlecruiser. First of a class of battlecruisers that proved to be death traps, this ship was blown up at the Battle of Jutland after suffering a magazine hit with the lost of nearly all hands. Among the dead was Admiral Hood, who would become the namesake of yet ANOTHER victim of a magazine explosion, the famous HMS Hood which was sunk by the Bismarck with the lost of all but three crew. A newer HMS Invincible, a light VSTOL carrier this time, has been commissioned in the 80's however, and has proved luckier than her original namesake, acquiring fame in the Falklands War thanks to her squadron of Harrier jumpjets.  
  
Agincourt- One of the most unique ships in history, she was initially a super-battleship built for Brazil, then sold to Turkey, before being taken over by the British who built her. One of the largest ships of WWI, she had the largest main battery at the Battle of Jutland, the greatest battle between battleships of all time. Carrying an astonishing seven turrets with two 12 inch guns a piece, the admiralty feared that she'd break apart if she fired a whole broadside. This did not happen though, and she fired over 100 shells in the battle without suffering any damage in return. The lack of damage was fortunate, as the real Agincourt was indeed nicknamed the "Gin Palace," which was built more for crew accommodations than practical naval combat. Safe to say if she had been hit she would probably have had a short, violent end...  
  
Austin- a present day US Navy marine transport.  
  
Newport- another present day US Navy marine transport... 


	13. Chapter 13: Loose Ends

Chapter 13: Loose Ends  
  
Damn it! Zeon Private Anthony Churchill thought as he ran through several narrow alleys in the town of Santa Fe. Feddies. There were just so many...  
  
Suddenly, he felt a hand grab him and pull him into darkened corner. Before he could speak a second hand covered his mouth. He began to thrash around, panicking...  
  
"Calm down. I'm a friend," the voice assured.  
  
Friend? Anthony thought. How could there be...  
  
His assailant quickly turned him around and let him see his face, "I'm Captain Ming Chow," he explained, "And I was sent here to help you..."  
-  
Dec. 15, UC 0083. 0100 hours Zulu/Local Time.  
EFSF Battleship Yamashiro, just outside of Bunch 7, Side 2  
  
It seemed over, after a long while. But he needed to be sure...  
  
"Santa Fe base... please respond..." General Dolvich signaled for the fourth time. It had to be safe now, he thought. In fact it was so safe that the Austin had already been cleared to dock with her additional troops, but Natalie...  
  
"Sir, perhaps..." the XO started.  
  
"Don't mind me XO..." Dolvich interrupted before the XO could finish. He knew that his XO was going to advise him to rest again and let someone else take his place, but despite his fatigue he could not rest. He just couldn't.  
-  
Oh damn it... Natalie thought. Why the heck did HE have to personally call her? To show that he cared?! After all the broken promises didn't he think that...  
  
"Want me to take the call, Major?" Sylvie asked as she joined the Major, exhaustion clearly in her voice as she brushed off some of the dirt that was now covering her face. It had been a bloody day and night, and the search for stray Zeon troops was still on even now.  
  
"Thank you, Captain..." Natalie replied with some relief in her voice as she handed Sylvie the radio. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest and began to tap her feet impatiently beside Sylvie.  
  
"Santa Fe base..." the General's voice started again, "Please..."  
  
"This is Captain Gressier sir of 44th MS Company, we copy Yamashiro," Sylvie replied, "And we are glad to see you."  
  
"Captain Gressier, what's your status," the voice replied tersely, though it was pretty clear he was concerned only a certain Major's status. Natalie rolled her eyes.  
  
"Bad, but getting better," Sylvie reported, "Heavy military and civilian losses sustained, but the attack has been completely beaten off, and all combat has ceased as of 2100 hours last night. We are now concentrating on recovering the wounded, and just a general round up in case we missed any of those rebels."  
  
"Who's ranking officer?" General Dolvich tried to ask unobtrusively.  
  
"Major Natalie Dolvich is sir," Sylvie replied quickly before grinning lightly, "She's just acting as usual sir..."  
  
Natalie's eyebrow went up a notch, but the General instantly recognized Sylvie's signal, "I see..." the General replied back almost with a sigh, "Thank you, and please take care of yourselves, Captain. Don't be so reckless as you were in the past. Yamashiro out."  
  
The last remark managed to generate a long sigh from Sylvie. In the past? That was certainly true. If she hadn't been so reckless, Maurice probably wouldn't have died. I wouldn't have caused him so much pain... and maybe he wouldn't have been so willing to go off to his death. But the chance was gone now. Just as her chance to tell him the one thing that mattered was gone forever...  
  
No tears this time... Sylvie suddenly realized. That was a first. She always cried when she remembered him so deeply. That generated another sigh. Maybe if she hadn't let that chance slip by as well, she would still have a soul...  
  
"Captain" Natalie started as she saw the serious expression on Sylvie's face.  
  
"Major... After this, let's have a talk, alright?" Sylvie suggested quietly, "About not letting chances slip by your grasp..."  
-  
"Man... I think the world has forgotten about us..." Shang said outloud as he stroked the hair of a child now sleeping beside him. It was past midnight, and now much of the town was dark. And it was silent. The trio under his care has been crying noisily all day, but now sheer exhaustion brought about by nightfall had finally let them fall asleep...  
  
"But at least we have good kids in our company," the Zeon Sergeant that they had taken prisoner earlier comforted. No matter what side you were on, children were considered precious, and Horton was no exception.  
  
"Keep quiet Zeek..." a private guarding the area ordered, his face showing nervousness as he spoke. There were probably still Zeeks out there, he knew, and with most of the Federal troops already having moved off this sector...  
  
"I'm back!" Sandra declared as she arrived bringing a pack of food and additional medical supplies. She looked tired, but she had spent most of the day near a field hospital treating the really serious injuries. There were so many there she had judged it wiser to keep Shang here to help with the overcrowding...  
  
"Doc, found these kids' parents yet?" Shang asked.  
  
"No," Sandra replied quickly, "They may have been with those who were evacuated from the town when the shooting started. The military isn't letting them back in at the moment."  
  
"Damn..." Shang muttered. He was REALLY hoping he could finally stop baby sitting, but with what's been happening.  
-  
"Oh God..." O'Connor said as he saw the body bags start coming up from the ruined shelter, "How many?"  
  
"Twenty-two, all of them under the age of ten" a pale looking construction worker reported as he put down his shovel. He suddenly dropped to his knees and began to throw up. O'Connor felt like following.  
  
"The parents know yet?" O'Connor asked weakly.  
  
"Nobody's got the courage to tell..." the worker replied somberly as he wiped off his mouth, "Private, if you find the bs who did this..."  
  
"We have him in custody," O'Connor replied coldly, "That er isn't going anywhere."  
-  
"Got it opened yet?" Jin asked as a few construction workers tried to pry the squad leader's cockpit open. His GM Kai hadn't moved all night, but he was also not responding to any call to open the cockpit and face arrest. Maybe...  
  
"Got it Lieutenant!" one of the workers shouted back as he finally finished cutting through the thick metal around the cockpit door. Then, using a crowbar, he quickly began prying the door off with brute strength...  
  
"Alright," Jin replied nervously with a nod, "MPs, get ready to..."  
  
The cockpit door finally popped open and fell to the ground, suddenly revealing to all what was inside. One that Jin was not prepared for all his life...  
  
"Dear... dear God..." Jin started as he visibly recoiled from the scene that he saw. The cockpit was caked in blood, the lifeless body of the former squad leader still sitting in the pilot's seat. Blood trickled down from his mouth, forming a small pool at the floor of the cockpit. And still clutched firmly in his hands... was a pistol...  
  
"F!" the worker who had pried the door open cursed as he took a step away from the door, "That ing coward! He had the a to shoot those kids but didn't have the balls to face what he did! ING COWARD!!!"  
  
Coward? Jin thought. Yes. He was a coward too, wasn't he? If he just had the courage to stop him, they'd all be alive, wouldn't they?  
  
Jin cursed and smashed his own head into the monitor. It didn't break, but his head began to throb from the pain. He was just about to try it again when his radio sounded.  
  
"This is Captain Ivan," the radio crackled, "Mobile Suit force, head for the entrance to the town. Escort the reinforcing troops as needed."  
  
Jin muttered a curse. He didn't feel like it. He just wanted to keep hitting his head onto the monitor until his head burst...  
  
"Jin?" the voice asked, "Are you listening or not?!"  
  
"I am!" Jin moaned back angrily, "We're going... we're going..."  
-  
"Any Feddies still out there?" Jake asked as he tried to stitch up some of Picton's wounds. It was working, but it was excruciating to the Sergeant, especially since they were only working on a dim basement.  
  
"Looks like they are moving off..." Yun replied as he took a quick peek out of their basement hiding place, "I don't think we can get out of the town though..."  
  
"We need to get him to a proper medical facility as soon as we can," Jake remarked as he finished stitching up the wounds, "Do you know any that are nearby?"  
  
"I think there's a clinic somewhere here but..." Picton started weakly.  
  
"No arguments Sarge," Jake replied gently, "Let's get going. Carefully."  
-  
"Captain, I think this is a very bad idea..." Anthony advised as his superior officer moved his way stealthily down the town's streets. They had been lucky so far, but if this went on...  
  
"Trust me..." Ming replied. In reality he really didn't know where he was going, since he felt he was completely lost again, but maybe he could find a way to get this guy out of here. Or better yet, to find himself a worthy opponent to kill.  
  
And so he did, as a Federal soldier suddenly came to view. Ming signaled his companion and quickly found himself a corner to hide in, before pulling out a pistol...  
  
"Sir, I REALLY don't think..." Anthony started as he saw the pistol. He had lent the Captain the pistol, but he had only expected it to be used for self-defense and not some insane raid on Federal troops...  
  
"I'll handle it..." Ming assured as he took a peek around the corner. There was only one of him he saw, guarding a playground and what looked like several prisoners. Too bad for him...  
  
"Ouch... doc..." Shang started as Sandra quickly injected him with a syringe of morphine. The doc was a nice person but when it came to needles...  
  
"Sshhh..." the private suddenly warned, "I think I..."  
  
Suddenly a lone figure rounded the corner and raised a gun. The private began to turn towards him, trying to swing the rifle around to...  
  
Too late. Before he could bring his weapon around Ming fired several shots, screaming wildly as he did so. One hit the private's shoulder and kept him from swinging his gun any further, before a succession of round ripped through his chest. The private fell down on the ground, still breathing painfully, before Ming coldly stood over him and shot him in the head.  
  
Shang saw the whole thing happen, and began to stand up. He had to try to...  
  
Another one... Ming thought as he saw another man trying to get up. He turned, and saw that he was unarmed. But he was an enemy, and there was no hesitation. He fired a single round that brought him down.  
  
Another figure suddenly caught Ming's eye, this one still standing. Ming began to turn and realized the figure was that of a woman. But he didn't care... he was going to...  
  
"Ming?" a female voice suddenly asked softly, a strange mixture of fear and concern...  
  
Sandra? Ming thought as the woman's face came into view. And indeed, it was...  
  
"What... what are you doing here?" Ming asked unconsciously as he started to put the gun down.  
  
"Being your enemy, remember?" Sandra replied coldly as she looked at the two bodies now lying on the floor, "I thought..."  
  
"Captain Chow?" Horton suddenly interrupted as he realized who had taken down his captor, "How did you... I thought Jake said..."  
  
"Later..." Ming replied coldly as he motioned Anthony to help the now freed Sergeant, "An enemy, Sandra?"  
  
"Yes Ming, so shoot me," Sandra replied coldly as she took a step towards Ming, placing her face only inches away from his, "I told you that you wouldn't find what you're looking for. You wouldn't listen. So go ahead. Shoot me if you don't believe me. You didn't even hesitate when you shot that unarmed man, didn't you?" Sandra asked as she looked at Shang, lying on the ground on a pool of his own blood...  
  
"He was..." Ming started.  
  
"An unarmed man who saved a bunch of kids this morning!" Sandra shotback at Ming's surprised face.  
  
"Umm... Captain..." Anthony started as he saw the argument start brewing between the two...  
  
"Not now Anthony!" Ming shotback as he turned back to a fuming Sandra, "Even if he did do that he still joined the wrong side! If he was..."  
  
Suddenly, there was a scream as one of the sleeping children finally woke up from the commotion going around them. Her scream quickly jolted both her companions from their slumber as well to see the horrid sight of the two dead bodies lying on the ground, and both their eyes suddenly turned to Ming...  
  
"Oh ...." Horton remarked. Not again... "Kids... keep quiet, don't..."  
  
Partly out of annoyance, partly out of sheer anger, Ming suddenly began to turn the gun towards the young trio. Sandra quickly interposed herself between him and the children before anything untoward could happen.  
  
"Get out of the way Sandra," Ming grumbled coldly.  
  
"I won't let you shoot them," Sandra shotback.  
  
"I can take you with me," Ming replied, "But not them. They have no use to me at the moment. You do."  
  
"Captain!" Horton protested, "These are kids, you can't just..."  
  
"They might get us caught," Ming replied coldly, "They are a liability..."  
  
"You're going to have to shoot through me Ming..." Sandra warned.  
  
"Captain..." Anthony protested.  
  
"Sir! Come on!" Horton joined in, "They won't talk... Won't you kids?" The answer was a muffled nod from the eldest, who had just begun to calm down.  
  
Ming gritted his teeth as he began to put the gun down, until he noticed the Federal Sergeant he had shot was still moving. He quickly began to aim...  
  
"Ming!" Sandra shouted as she realized what was about to happen. Too late. A bullet struck the back of Shang's head, and started another round of screaming for the children...  
  
"Ming, damn it!" Sandra shouted, "Why did you...?"  
  
"Let's go, before I change my mind," Ming replied coldly, as the two other Zeon soldiers with him weakly nodded, "Your clinic is safe right now, isn't it?"  
  
"Even if it is," Sandra replied equally coldly, "I wouldn't use it to harbor a murderer like you anymore."  
  
Ming didn't say anything back anymore. Instead, he grabbed Sandra by the wrist and began to drag her away, motioning his companions to follow.  
-  
"Got a quick total in now..." Sylvie reported as an aide handed her a message, "We've lost one hundred and seven dead and seventy-six wounded. And..." Sylvie started before she stopped midword.  
  
"Captain?" Natalie asked as she saw Sylvie's shocked face.  
  
"God... Forty-seven civilian fatalities so far. Most of them children..." Sylvie managed to say outloud.  
  
"What about the wounded?" Natalie asked with only a touch of pain in her voice. To her, the dead could no longer be helped, but such was not the case with the wounded.  
  
"One hundred and nine wounded," Sylvie read, "Most of are minor, but medical supplies are running short..."  
  
"I think there are a couple of clinics and stores in the town," Natalie replied as she pored through the map, "They ought to have enough supplies. Want to lead a search?"  
  
"How about some sleep..." Sylvie half-heartedly complained as a wave of fatigue suddenly hit her.  
  
"The temporary barracks are near the field hospital," Natalie explained with a smile, "Get yourself a couple of hours in the sack when you're done."  
  
"Thank you mam," Sylvie replied, also with a smile, "I'm on my way."  
-  
"Private, you look like ..." a rescue worker observed as he saw the tired O'Connor, sitting on the ruins of the school, "Maybe you should go hit the sack..."  
  
"Can't..." O'Connor muttered back, "Only body bags so far. There's got to be..."  
  
"Look, we'll call if we find anybody, alright?" the man offered with a smile, "But right now we don't need another casualty around here."  
  
Defeated, O'Connor nodded and began to get up, beginning to head for the temporary barracks...  
  
"Mommy..." a voice entered into his head. Yeah, he suddenly remembered. Need to call mom. She'd be worried...  
  
"Mommy..." the voice repeated. And one that immediately brought O'Connor to stand still. It wasn't him saying that, was it?  
  
"Mommy..." the voice repeated again, and O'Connor quickly began to scan his eyes around. He heard it. It was here, somewhere...  
  
"Mommy..." the voice repeated, and O'Connor realized that it was coming from behind him... From the ruined school and...  
  
There it was. In a tiny crack in the rubble, a tiny finger was outstretched, calling out for help...  
  
"I've found one!" O'Connor screamed as he rushed up to the finger to touch it, to reassure the child who must have still been inside. He must have been sitting right on top of the child and hadn't known it, he realized...  
  
"Good God!" one of the workers remarked, "We do have a live one! Get that rigging equipment over here!"  
  
"Hold on... hold on..." O'Connor reassured as the workers began to clear away the rubble. It took what seemed like an eternity, as seconds seemed to stretch into days...  
  
But finally, they did it. Using only primitive tools and bare hands they were able to clear enough rubble from the debris to reveal a tiny pocket that had sheltered a young girl, one barely ten years of age. O'Connor had the honor of picking her out of the hole himself and carefully carrying her in his arms...  
  
"Mommy..." the girl repeated, tears now trickling down her cheeks.  
  
"Don't worry now... we'll find her..." O'Connor reassured with a smile as he saw a stretcher come up. He carefully lay the girl onto it, and as he did so, a tremendous cheer came from the bone tired crew. Even if it was only one, it was still... One.  
-  
For all the victims of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.  
The day when all of us, were New Yorkers.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	14. Chapter 14: Her Real Circumstances

Chapter 14: Her Real Circumstances  
  
"Keep moving..." Ming ordered as he dragged Sandra quietly towards her clinic. Every once in a while, she'd mutter something about him being a murderer again, but it was getting less and less by the minute. But also...  
  
He was feeling red all over his face. Damn it! he thought. She's my enemy, he thought angrily to himself. Even she thinks that's true now. I shouldn't bother myself with such details. I should be putting a bullet in her if she wasn't a damn doctor...  
  
But her hand... It was warm... She wasn't a cold enemy like he'd always thought. She was a person. Somebody... like Mei Li...  
  
"How much farther do you think it is, sir?" Anthony asked as he nervously peered around. Most of the Federal troops seem to have gone for the night at the moment, he thought, but the chance that there was still a patrol somewhere was still high. And with a strange lady now in their ranks thanks to that crazy Captain, he thought, their chances might be...  
  
"Just around the next corner..." Ming assured. One more corner.  
-  
"Just around the next corner..." Jake assured as he carried the moaning Picton on his back, with Yun keeping a close eye on both of them.  
  
"Yeah..." Yun replied nervously as he aimed his rifle around. It was one thing Jake had noticed earlier. Unlike most of the crew, Yun almost seemed amateurish the way he handled himself and his weapon. Not something that would be likely in a guerilla outfit. Maybe later, he could.  
-  
"S!" Ming muttered as he saw several figures near the clinic. They'd been lucky so far, but now...  
  
"Captain, what do we..." Anthony started.  
  
"Let me handle this..." Ming started as he began to aim his pistol...  
  
"Ming, no..." Sandra warned quietly yet firmly.  
  
"Will you shut..." Ming started.  
  
"Sir, I think they're friendlies..." Horton realized as he saw their uniforms, "I'll try to..."  
  
"No!" Ming growled angrily, "It might just be a Federal trick. I won't let us..."  
  
"Ming?!" a familiar voice suddenly called out, "Is that you?"  
  
"Jake!" Horton shouted back, recognizing the voice even faster than Ming, "My God... I thought..."  
  
"We were ing slaughtered?" Jake asked as he ran towards Ming's group, "Hell yes, we were," he reported grimly to the Zeon Captain.  
  
"Jake I..." Ming started, not knowing whether to be pleased or disappointed.  
  
"No time," Jake replied firmly, "Picton's dying, and we need some place to..."  
  
"I'll handle it," Sandra offered quietly.  
  
"Who's THIS?" Jake asked wide-eyed as he noticed the lady among Ming's party, and a rather pretty one at that, his brain added.  
  
"Just some..." Ming started.  
  
"A doctor who'll save your companion's life," Sandra interrupted coldly as she stared into Ming's eyes, "Unlike some murdering people around here..."  
  
"Alright, that's it!" Ming shotback angrily at her final remark. Enough was enough, "Listen Sandra, you'd better shut the hell up before I regret my decision to..."  
  
"Whatever," Sandra replied coldly before he could even finish, stopping Ming right in his tracks, "Get him in the clinic. I'll see what I can do..." and with that she quickly snapped her hand from Ming's grasp.  
  
Ming just watched on quietly as she walked off and began to inspect the wounded Picton. He felt like pulling his gun out and shooting her right now. But it wasn't the best thing. Picton wouldn't make it if...  
  
"Ming, I think you'd better cool off for a while..." Jake warned as he saw Ming's rather... demonic face.  
  
"Jake, not now..." Ming warned.  
  
"Ming, find yourself a mirror and take a long, deep look at yourself," Jake advised, "I wonder if you'll even realize who it is in the mirror..." he finished, before walking off to help Picton, leaving Ming alone with the thought.  
-  
"Alright, pick out all the medical supplies you can find..." Sylvie ordered as her men began to rummage through the general store while she quickly wrote down a promissory note for the missing owner. She just hoped that the usually stingy military WOULD pay when the time came...  
  
"Not a lot of supplies around here Captain..." one of her men reported, "He might not have managed to restock yet..."  
  
"Just find what you can..." Sylvie ordered as she barely managed to suppress a yawn, "We'll get to the clinic afterwards. They probably have the supplies..."  
-  
"Inject another syringe of morphine..." Sandra ordered as she carefully made a few cuts around Picton's wounds. The Sergeant let out a low moan.  
  
"Umm... sir?" Yun asked worriedly as he prepared the syringe, "Should I...?"  
  
"Yes, do as she says..." Ming answered tiredly, though with a touch of resentment in his voice. Yun then quickly did as he was told, and the Sergeant's moaning quickly subsided.  
  
"How bad, doc?" Jake asked quietly as he saw Sandra carefully dabbing some antiseptic on some of Picton's open wounds.  
  
"Gimme a minute..." Sandra replied equally quietly as she made a few last stitches. The Sergeant gave out another low moan, but Sandra then quickly injected him with another shot of morphine, and he mercifully faded into darkness.  
  
"Well?" Jake repeated.  
  
"Very bad," Sandra explained as she made sure Picton was asleep, "He needs a proper hospital, or else he will die. You did a good job patching him up though. He'd most certainly be dead without the initial treatment that he got."  
  
"Well, thanks doc..." Jake shrugged.  
  
"There are some clothes in the basement," Sandra offered, "You might want to get out of your blood soaked uniforms now, before you start breeding all sort of virulent diseases on the drying blood..."  
  
"Sir?" Jake asked his superior.  
  
"Go do it all of you," Ming ordered, "I still have to do something up here..."  
  
"Sir..." Jake started as he saw Ming's eyes again. Oh , he isn't thinking of...  
  
"Just go Jake," Ming repeated, and Jake reluctantly did as he was told along with the rest of the group.  
  
"What now Ming?" Sandra asked coldly as she turned her back on Ming.  
  
"Can you do anything more for Picton?" he asked quietly.  
  
"No," Sandra answered honestly, "Nothing more. You can kill me now if you want to."  
  
Ming bit his lip and nodded. All she was really needed for was the off chance of treating some wounded Zeon soldier still out there, but their sweep of the town had revealed nothing but corpses. In fact, she was a liability now. She was an enemy. He had to. But...  
  
He felt for his gun. It was so cold... not like her hand. Not like...  
  
"What are you waiting for, Ming?" Sandra asked, "Just shoot me in the back of the head. At least you won't see my eyes. It's harder when you can see them, isn't it?"  
  
Yes, it is... Ming thought quietly, not knowing how in the world Sandra knew that. Probably when she lost a patient, he thought. But it was just the same for everybody. The fear in the other person's eyes, and sometimes, seeing your own reflection...  
  
Look at myself in the mirror? Ming remembered. Why did Jake...? Ming hesitantly began to turn his head towards a spot where he knew a mirror stood...  
  
And then he saw it. And what he saw shocked him. It wasn't him in the mirror anymore. Instead, it was the very image of those he had hated. It was a soulless face, with cruel eyes. An image he had thought to have represented all those who had fought for the Federation. A face, he thought, that could never appear in himself...  
  
No... Ming thought. It was for justice... I'm not a murderer... THEY were the ones who killed the ones I cared for, they were the ones...  
  
"You know Ming, part of me does want you to pull the trigger," Sandra said sadly, "I've felt so alone these past three years. And... I wish... that somehow there is a heaven. And I can see them all again..."  
  
Heaven? Ming thought. No, he didn't really believe such things. But why... why would such a person want to die? Didn't she say that she hadn't lost anybody? Didn't she say...  
  
"You haven't really seen the real me yet. The one I've been trying to hide from you. The one in me who's still trying to deal with the pain and loss..." a voice in his mind echoed.  
  
"Them?" Ming asked as he felt himself begin to tremble... "Who..."  
  
There was a knock on the door before he could finish speaking.  
-  
Reflex action, Sylvie reflected. The clinic was probably empty anyway, she didn't have to knock. But you simply got so used to everyday life that sometimes you forget...  
  
Suddenly, the door creaked open to reveal a tired female face at the door. One that she remembered meeting earlier. Damn, Sylvie thought, maybe that WASN'T a reflex action after all. And this was really scaring her. Max, is this another gift from you?  
  
"Hello..." Sandra said meekly as she looked at the tired Captain's face, "Can I help you?"  
  
"Yes," Sylvie replied as she struggled to collect her thoughts together, "I'd like to ask what the hell are you STILL doing here? I told you to get out of here, didn't I? The town's under total lockdown."  
  
"Sorry but..." Sandra started as she opened the door more and pointed to Ming, lying on the couch and trying to look uncomfortable, "You see, his leg got injured and..."  
  
"Why don't you take him to the field hospital then?" Sylvie asked, annoyed, "I'm sure we can..."  
  
"Well, you see..." Sandra replied as she took a quick peek at Sylvie's companions, all of them carrying heavy assault rifles, "I wanted to take care of him personally because..."  
  
Sylvie sighed before she could finish and moaned, "I get it... I get it..." Couples nowadays, she thought with a moan. But deep down, she WAS feeling a jealous streak in her, though the guy looked like a real pain. But at least they had each other. All she had was shooting people with a gun, "But there are STILL rebels out there, and you might..."  
  
"We'll be responsible for ourselves," Sandra assured, "And I can take care of myself," she finished confidently.  
  
"Captain we shouldn't..." one of the men started before Sylvie held her hand up.  
  
"Alright... alright..." Sylvie replied, feeling defeated, "I won't take you two away. But I do need some medical supplies for..."  
  
"Wait a minute..." Sandra replied as she rushed off inside the house. She returned a few minutes later, carrying a large open box overflowing with supplies, "It's all I have."  
  
"Thanks," Sylvie nodded in reply as she took the box, visibly shaking from the weight, "We'll get it paid for once..."  
  
"Don't bother," Sandra replied with a smile, "Just use it to save others."  
  
"Well... thanks..." Sylvie replied, close to speechless. She felt like searching the house a bit more, just to make sure that no rebels were lurking around to attack the couple. But the battle HAD ended hours ago, and she hadn't received any reports on enemy activity of all. Besides which, her body was on the brink of a total nervous shutdown, "I'll make sure it gets to the right hands."  
  
The woman then quickly nodded, and quietly shut the door behind her. All eyes turned to Sylvie.  
  
"Mam, forgive me for saying so," one of her men started, "But weren't we supposed to round people up and make sure they're..."  
  
"Private, when you've finally found someone someday..." Sylvie interrupted with a sigh as she looked up to the solar panels and stars above, "You'll understand..." -  
Ming let out a sigh of relief as he saw the Federal patrol move off, and equally relieved that they had not been found...  
  
"Lucky most of us were already downstairs..." Jake observed as he emerged from the basement. It had taken a frightening few seconds to cram the wounded but still slumbering Picton down the basement, but they had made it just in time. And, at the very least, bought themselves a few more hours...  
  
"Well Ming..." Sandra said as she turned around to face them again, "I've played ball, and now you have no use for me again. Just finish what you were planning to do."  
  
"Sandra..." Ming started.  
  
"Oh ..." Jake said outloud as he saw the pistol that was still clenched in Ming's hand. Hidden from view earlier by a few blankets, "You weren't thinking of..."  
  
"Go upstairs," Ming ordered, "Get into your new clothes and rest for a while, all of you. We'll plan our escape once I'm done here."  
  
"Sir, I know she's a liability," Horton pleaded as the rest of the group seemed to show its reluctance to shoot her, especially after she hadn't given them away to the Federal forces when she could have... "But I don't think that it's right to..."  
  
"Just go," Ming ordered quietly, "I still outrank all of you."  
  
"Not if you shoot her," Jake replied coldly, "If that happens..."  
  
"I won't," Ming promised, "Just get upstairs now."  
  
Still suspicious, but still willing to give Ming a chance, Jake nodded and signaled the rest of them to follow, and they did so, though never taking their eyes off Ming while they clambered up the stairs.  
  
Alone again with Sandra, Ming took a deep breath as he tried to collect his thoughts. Not knowing again what to do or say...  
  
"Ming, just end it now," Sandra asked as she turned to face Ming again, "I thought that maybe I could show you something that would change your mind. That would keep you from being a murderer again. But I was..."  
  
"Who do you mean by "them"?" Ming asked quietly as he looked away, trying to shake the mental image of his own reflection from his own mind.  
  
Was he... actually opening up? Sandra thought to herself as she saw the sudden change in Ming's eyes. It was as though he had glimpsed at something he couldn't believe... Maybe he did have...  
  
"You're rather speechless now..." Ming observed quietly.  
  
Sandra bit her own lip as she nodded with a sigh. Maybe, this WAS the only way... The only way... to redeem him, she thought, and to redeem myself... Sandra then quickly turned away and unbuttoned the middle part of her coat. She reached inside and pulled out a photograph. Quickly buttoning her coat up again, she then handed the picture to Ming.  
  
Ming felt a drop of sweat slide down his cheek as he took a peek at the photograph. It was, he realized, the picture of a family. A mother. A father. A pair of grandparents. Children... nearly half a dozen of them... all so young... and... Sandra...  
  
"I lied..." Sandra explained as she felt tears begin forming in her eyes, "I wasn't an orphan. I had a big family. We... we were poor, but we were happy back then. Dad... he always used to..."  
  
Then, the tears came rushing through. It was just too much, Sandra thought. Knowing how much she was loved... and knowing how much she loved them back, and then...  
  
She then suddenly felt a pair of hands holding her in the shoulder. Holding her firm and giving her something to lean on, much like how...  
  
"Sandra, stop..." Ming pleaded as he felt tears coming up his own eyes. To lose them all... Ming realized, how could she have been so bright and cheerful, even though...  
  
"No Ming, you have to know..." Sandra replied firmly, "You see, I was the eldest child in the family. I always felt that it was my job to protect all my little brothers and sisters. I always felt that it was my job to help Mom and Dad to make ends meet. But even when I couldn't, they always understood... they'd just laugh it off and tell me I'll do better in the future... That's why I'm a doctor today. Because they never gave up hope in me..."  
  
"Sandra..." Ming started, no longer having any words to say, but just wanting her to stop...  
  
"But that's just the half of it..." Sandra continued as her sobs grew even worse, "Have you... have you ever met somebody, and felt as if you could never take another step without him? That you'd be happy, just as long as his arms were around you... and felt as if he'd never let you go...?"  
  
Ming couldn't answer as he felt his own tears now trickling down his cheeks. He couldn't anymore. Because he knew where this was leading. He knew that...  
  
Sandra then pointed to a faded corner of the picture. It was blurred, but Ming could still make it out. It was a face. A face of a young man...  
  
"His name was Smith..." Sandra said as she lay her head on Ming's shoulder, no longer feeling that she could stand alone, "He lived just next door. We... we've known each other since before I could even remember... He... he always did everything he could to keep me from harm... He always took the blame even though it was my fault... And not once, did he ever ask for anything in return..."  
  
"Stop..." Ming managed to plead weakly, now trying to keep himself from stroking her hair to comfort her. He couldn't... It wasn't right...  
  
But Sandra paid no heed to his plea and continued to speak on, "And you know... I did love him. I've always loved him. even in my darkest days. I... I always thought that we'd grow old together... that just being together was enough... even though we never had the courage to speak out how we really felt... until..."  
  
"Until a New Year's day. When our lips were pressed again each other for the first time... when we finally had the courage to say the one thing that really mattered. When we finally let it known to each other that all we would ever need was each other... and nothing more..."  
  
"And that day, was January 1, UC 0079."  
  
Ming didn't speak anymore. In fact, all he could feel was a searing pain. A pain in his heart. As if he had been stabbed by a flaming dagger. Because he was certain now of what happened. He now knew that...  
  
"You know what happened two days later, don't you Ming?" Sandra asked as she pulled away slightly and looked into Ming's face.  
  
"We gassed your colony..." Ming managed to utter out along with a sigh. He took a hesitant look at Sandra's eyes, and felt as if he needed to take another step away, knowing the pain that she had to go through, and to have been part of causing that pain...  
  
And that just wasn't all... Three years ago, Ming suddenly realized, he wouldn't even have cared. Sandra was just part of all the nameless faces on the other side. They were all just puppets being manipulated by a group of greedy murderers who deserved either emancipation or death. But not now... as he felt the gentle life in his arms. Not anymore. Not after seeing what a kind, angelic soul like hers had to go through. And to be able to go through it, still able to...  
  
...Able to go on... Ming thought on solemnly, without living only with hate and... revenge in her mind. Instead, she did the opposite. To save lives, even of those who brought her such pain and...  
  
"Yes... But that's only half of the story..." Sandra replied quietly after she saw the menagerie of emotions playing out on Ming's face, feeling even more numb as all the painful memories came crashing back. Especially that kiss... But she had to do it. She just had to, or he would never...  
  
"Half?"  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	15. Chapter 15: Confessions

Chapter 15: Confessions  
  
"Yes Ming... it's just half of it..." Sandra replied as she took a step away from Ming, standing uneasily by herself as she did so, "Look at my hands Ming... Can't you see anything wrong with them?"  
  
"Sandra?" Ming asked, now feeling confused. Her hands just looked the same as any other's, albeit more delicate and...  
  
"Can't you?" Sandra asked again, this time almost pleading in her tone.  
  
"No Sandra, I can't see anything..." Ming replied as he looked into her eyes, now devoid of life and cheerfulness she once had. As if she had seen Hell itself and was reliving it, again and again...  
  
"Can't you see the blood?" Sandra asked as she looked at her own hands, which began to shake visibly as she did so, "Can't you see all the blood in my hands? All the blood that's cursed me forever?"  
  
"Sa... Sandra?" Ming replied shakily, as he felt chills up his own spine. This was truly scaring him now. What sort of atrocity had she seen? What have we...  
  
"Can't you see it Ming?" Sandra asked again as she took a step towards Ming and showed him her hands, tears now welling up from her eyes as she did so...  
  
"Sandra, no I can't..." Ming replied as he took her hand and squeezed it tightly, wishing that it would... reassure her... "I can't see any blood... What do you mean? What are you saying?"  
  
"The blood of the one I killed..." Sandra answered as she pulled her hand from Ming's grasp, "The one I killed when I was so consumed with hate and... and..."  
  
Finally, it was just too much. Too much for her own soul to bear. Her voice cracked up completely, and her knees gave way. She collapsed onto the floor, and began to sob, noisily, not wanting to stop. Wishing that somebody would just send her to Hell like she felt she deserved. And...  
  
And then a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her. A pair of kind, caring arms. Arms like Smith's. But...  
  
"Sandra, enough..." Ming comforted firmly as he sat down on the floor and hugged her tightly, "Stop ripping yourself apart for..."  
  
"No Ming..." Sandra replied as her tears grew worst, "I have to finish this. Because if I don't, I can't ever face any of them again. I can't ever show my face to Smith. For throwing away their gift to me and used it instead to kill..."  
  
"Sandra?" Ming asked, now feeling as if he had once again lost track of what had happened.  
  
"You see Ming..." Sandra continued as she pulled away slightly, to let them see each other face to face, "Smith gave up his seat in the last shuttle so that I could escape. He gave his own life, as did everybody else I loved... So I could live... And I could never forgive myself for that..."  
  
"Sandra, it's not your fault..." Ming pleaded, "It's..." Ming started before he stopped himself. But the uncomfortable thought had already entered in his mind: It's our fault. Not hers.  
  
"Ming... just let me finish, please?" Sandra asked as she saw Ming's demeanor begin to crack. Perhaps he did have hope... And the same was true for her as well... But only perhaps...  
  
"Alright..." Ming replied as he took a deep breath and nodded. He resolved to let her finish, no matter how much it tore through him or his long-held beliefs. It was for the kind, gentle side of her, who had cared for him so much, despite all the pain she had suffered...  
  
"Thank you..." Sandra replied sincerely as she took a deep breathe, before going on once again, her voice barely able to keep itself from cracking up again, "You see, after they died, all I had left was my grief. And from that grief, I began to ask why. And when no one could answer, I had only one thing left: hate."  
  
Hate? Ming thought but did not say outloud. No... she wasn't capable of such a thing... she wasn't...  
  
"So I signed up in the Army... To avenge those I loved. But the Army wouldn't let me be a soldier. They needed doctors more. So I became a medic. One who was still sworn to save lives and not to take them..."  
  
"But I still wanted to strike back. To make those who destroyed my home and killed all those I loved feel the same pain as I did. And one day, when I was serving in Europe... I finally got my chance..."  
  
Oh... Oh God... Ming thought as he solemnly listened to her words. She didn't. She couldn't have. Not a person like her. It wasn't possible...  
  
"It was a bloody day. Forty-seven men died on our side that day, many more from your side by my count. But I wasn't satisfied. So I picked up a gun from a fallen soldier and aimed at the fleeing Zeon troops. And I fired. And again... and again..."  
  
"And then, one of them fell. And that, was when I lost my soul..." Sandra finished as she looked down on the floor. Wanting to tell what happened next, but still feeling the pain of the events of three years past...  
  
"Sandra, look..." Ming started as he saw Sandra's sudden silence, "You've saved far more lives. It was just one, it wouldn't have..."  
  
"Ming, don't you understand?" Sandra countered, "It doesn't matter if you killed one or a hundred. All that matters is that you've stopped caring about the life of another person..."  
  
"Sandra, it was a war," Ming replied firmly, "People aren't supposed to care for the lives of their enemies..."  
  
"Ming, have you personally known anybody that you killed?" Sandra suddenly asked.  
  
Ming felt uncomfortable at the question. Because it seemed as if she knew the answer. That he didn't know any of them. That he just treated them like targets to be eliminated...  
  
"Have you Ming?" Sandra repeated.  
  
"No..." was his honest reply.  
  
"Because I did..." Sandra continued, "They brought in the guy I shot the next day. He was still alive. But he was dying... Dying so painfully... and..."  
  
And once again, the pain came crashing back. It was so much, and ripped her apart so completely, that she finally couldn't speak anymore. Instead, she let herself fall into Ming's arms, who unhesitatingly helped keep her from falling to the floor completely. Then she began to cry once again. This time quietly. This time looking as if she wished she was dead.  
  
And for a long while, the two of them sat together silently, neither willing to say another word. Until finally, one of them had the courage to speak again.  
  
"His name was Joachim..." Sandra finally managed to start again, "He... he was such a kind person... He didn't even mind that I shot him... He said that it was a war, and it wasn't my fault... He said that it was his fault because it was his country that started the war and... and..."  
  
"He was so much like Smith... His eyes were so kind... The type that would never hurt anyone, even if it was his own life that was at stake... And... and also... there was one last thing..."  
  
Ming tightened his grip around Sandra. Trying to give her strength as he took in all that she told him. And feeling... guilt. Real guilt.  
  
"He was engaged. He was engaged with his childhood friend. He asked her on New Years Day..." Sandra continued before she looked away, "All he could think about was how sad she would be if he died. He thought of her even as he finally slipped into unconsciousness, and died..."  
  
Like Ukiya... Ming remembered. But that time, that... sniper had spared him and allowed him to return home. No wonder that she was now so...  
  
"After the war... I tried to find her fiancée. To say how sorry I was... But she was so racked by grief that she killed herself. She loved him that much... she loved him so much that she was willing to give up her own life so that they might be together in the afterlife..."  
  
"Sandra..." Ming started, deciding to step in, "I know... that it must feel terrible. But he was right. It was a war. You couldn't have..."  
  
"Ming, do you know what was her name?" Sandra suddenly asked.  
  
"Sandra, it isn't important..." Ming replied, "You should concentrate more on..."  
  
"Her name was the same was mine. Her name was Sandra..." Sandra interrupted as she looked up onto the ceiling, while the shock of this extraordinary coincidence was absorbed by Ming, "And then I realized that all I did was just made another copy of myself. I made her go through all of the pain that I've suffered... Of all the lost I had to go through... When they never should have... When they should have been living the life I've always wanted to have with Smith..."  
  
And with that, Ming was left speechless. No... it couldn't be... They were monsters... They killed my family... I'm not a monster. I didn't become like what I thought them to be... It was for justice. I'm not the one who made orphaned sons and daughters... Of widows... Of broken lovers... Of grieving parents...  
  
And then, the sight of his reflection suddenly came back in his mind. His reflection, in which he saw himself as a monster. It couldn't be... But...  
  
"And Ming, because of that I've been cursed..." Sandra concluded, "Because of that I could never face all those I loved. No matter how much I try, the blood will never be off my hands, and even if they forgive me, I can't ever forgive myself... For making another person suffer like me, when the suffering was mine alone to begin with. All I can ever do now is to try to make up for the things I've done. Even if... if I'll have to do it for all eternity... Without any hope of seeing them ever again..."  
  
"That's why I didn't turn you in Ming," Sandra continued, "I guess I wanted to redeem your soul in the hopes of redeeming mine. But it wasn't right. I was just being selfish. I was just using you and didn't really care about..."  
  
"No, you did," Ming suddenly interrupted firmly as he hugged her even more tightly, as though never wanting to let her go, "You did care about me. You cared enough that I was going through the same thing as you did. You cared enough to do something, even if I was part of the cause of your current grief and pain..."  
  
"Ming..." Sandra started as she tried to pull away from Ming, wanting him to stop...  
  
"And you know what..." Ming continued without heed as he released Sandra from his grip slightly, to let them see face to face once again, "You shouldn't feel so bad about yourself. I've never met anyone who has a purer heart than yours... I've never met anybody who could care for others so much... And... I think... I..."  
  
"Ming... stop..." Sandra pleaded before Ming could finish, fearing what he would say next...  
  
"Sandra..." Ming continued with a sigh, "I don't know if I'm the one who'll be able to let you feel that you've redeemed yourself. You're a doctor, your job is to save lives. I'm a soldier, my job is to take them. We're on other side of the equation. However... I do know that... I can try... I can try to learn from what you've taught me... And maybe someday..."  
  
"Ming... Are you trying to say that you've fallen for me?" Sandra suddenly asked.  
  
Oh ... Ming thought as Sandra hit the mark. What now? How could he say that to her in the first place? Especially after just knowing what happened to her... especially after knowing what his country and beliefs had cost her. But all that she had said had just made him admire and... feel for her all the more... to care for her all the more. To swear to himself that he'd never let anybody hurt her ever again. Up to the point that he now...  
  
"Yes..." Ming answered, unconsciously and hesitatingly, but filled only with the deepest sincerity. He did love her. And that was followed by a thought that he thought he could never think of: And I don't care if she was on the other side. When it came to her, screw the Zabis. Screw Zeon.  
  
"Ming... I'm sorry..." Sandra suddenly muttered in reply as she began to pull away from Ming... trying to get away...  
  
"Sandra?" Ming asked as he began to follow...  
  
"I still love him Ming..." Sandra suddenly declared as she showed him Smith's picture once again, "I always had. And I always will. Even... even if I knew there isn't anything after death, I would still love him... Because..."  
  
"Sandra..." Ming started.  
  
"I gave him my heart, and he gave me his. And we became both one and two, now and forever..." Sandra finished as she took a full regretful step away from Ming, knowing that she had now irrevocably inflicted a terrible wound on Ming. A wound that might never heal... "And there will never be room in my heart for another..."  
  
And then, there was only silence. Silence as two pairs of eyes looked into each other deeply. Both searching for each other's thoughts, each other's feelings. Not knowing which side was actually hurt more...  
  
Until finally, Ming sighed, and then followed it with a defeated smile. He had expected it, he reflected. Especially considering who he was and where he was from. And he understood. Despite the pain still throbbing in his heart.  
  
A pain that was also being felt by Sandra, but for different reasons. She felt guilty once again. Because she never should have lied to him. She never should have let him get so close to her... knowing that she had already chosen the only one in her life. But she did want to care for him. She did want him to realize what his hate could bring if he didn't realize it...  
  
"I understand..." Ming suddenly spoke outloud as his face became more solemn, "I'm sorry, I never should have..."  
  
"No, I lied to you..." Sandra replied, "I'm the one at fault... I..."  
  
"No, you aren't at fault," Ming countered firmly, "After hearing what you told me, I should have known I would hurt you with what I've said. Especially since I've already cost you so much trouble... especially with Jake and the others... So now I have to..."  
  
"Are you going Ming?" Sandra asked suddenly as she felt a sudden chill up her spine. He wasn't thinking of going off again... and becoming a monster again...  
  
"I'm sorry..." Ming replied with a sigh, not knowing anymore if he really wanted to do his duty or merely to run away. However... "But I will promise you this: If I manage to live through this, I'll be back. And then, maybe..."  
  
"Ming, don't go back to killing..." Sandra pleaded, "If you do, you might just regret it for the rest of your life..."  
  
"It'll be the last one Sandra," Ming promised solemnly as he looked away and began to pace towards the stairs, "With all the blood in MY hands, a few more wouldn't matter anymore..."  
  
"Ming, damn it..." Sandra started as she motioned towards Ming. Damn it. He hasn't learned anything yet... He still doesn't realize how valuable life is... He still...  
  
"Sandra, no more, please..." Ming asked as he turned around to face her for the last time for the night, "We'll be gone in the morning..."  
-  
"If anybody wants me, it'll have to wait until the morning," Sylvie moaned as she entered the temporary barracks and felt sore from head to toe. The pain did keep her from thinking much though, she reflected, which was good. Thinking often resulted in a pain that was far more deep. She quickly found herself a sleeping bag and collapsed right on top of it, and fell sound asleep.  
  
On the other corner of the barracks however, another officer was still wide-awake, looking up at the ceiling above him, despite the enormous fatigue he was feeling as well. It was Jin. -  
"Well... Ming..." Jake started as Ming joined them on the second floor.  
  
"Say anything, and I'll cut your tongue off," Ming interrupted venomously before they could start any uncomfortable conversations about Sandra, "Picton needs a hospital. We have to find one that's willing to treat him without turning us in."  
  
"I doubt we'll find it here..." Jake replied quietly, piqued by Ming's remark, "The colony will probably be locked down by tomorrow, and the hospital will be heavily guarded. We'll have to get out of the colony, maybe even out of the Side, to find a safe place for him..."  
  
"So, any escape plans?" Ming inquired, straight to the point.  
  
"We had one. One that could've gotten us all the way to Axis," Horton answered, "But now it's gone all to hell. However..."  
  
"However?" Ming continued on impatiently.  
  
"Have you ever seen a Helium 3 Carrier?"  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	16. Chapter 16: Resolutions

Chapter 16: Resolutions  
  
Dec. 15, UC 0083 EFSF Battleship Nevada, somewhere in Side 6  
  
Colonel Charles Ambrose watched impassively as his men dragged away the corpses from the runaway shuttle. A gruesome sight, and one that might have been avoided. Their six-hour chase to catch a group of rebels that had just bombed a military facility at Riah had ended in a bloody boarding action. An action that had cost the lives of all the rebels along with three members of his crew. A toll that might have been higher had those rebels succeeded in detonating the scuttling charges in the shuttle...  
  
"Sir, I think we've found something," one of the MPs reported as he completed his search of one of the bodies. In addition to a small firearm, the MP produced several charts, writing clearly scribbled on them.  
  
"So, what were they planning?" the Colonel inquired quietly as another body, this one of a nineteen year old private under his command, was dragged out of the shuttle. The sign of another letter to write.  
  
"The info is not very clear sir," the MP reported, "But I think the forensic or Intel guys might be able to decipher what's on it."  
  
"Then send it to them and find out what they're up to," the Colonel ordered, "Or we may have more kids to bury at Santa Fe..."  
-  
Side 2, Bunch 7 Colony. Santa Fe Military Base  
  
Sylvie felt a throbbing pain in her head as her eyes fluttered open. She had slept for about six hours, but those six hours had been marred by nightmares. Nightmares about all the people she had killed. She sighed. Nightmares were the only things she could dream of now, as her wretched mind and soul steadily tore itself apart on its own...  
  
Max... Dad... Sis... why can't I just dream of any of you for once? she thought on. Have I really lost that much? That I can't even dream of the ones I loved anymore? Even Max's smile...  
  
"Alright Sylvie, you can't help yourself by being a depressed freak again..." another voice in her head ordered, "Time to get back to work, Natalie's going to be waiting..." It was the voice in her that she almost always wanted to ignore, but always eventually followed. It was the voice of her conscience.  
  
And so she quickly shot herself up to a sitting position, before letting out a yawn. She felt itchy, and felt herself wishing for a shower. She quickly shrugged the thought of that luxury from her head as she stood and headed for the door. A new day now beckoned.  
-  
Morning... Jake thought as light slowly entered in the windows. Or at least, what was the illusion of morning. Having lived in colonies all his life, he knew that almost everything there was artificial. The grass... the rain... They were all man made. And he knew that a lot of people didn't like that fact.  
  
His grandfather was one of those people. He had been among the first colonists, and had lived on Earth for all of his life before being forcibly evicted by the Federation. It was a story he had told his grandchildren over and over again. Set in a place that Jake knew that he would probably never set foot on in his lifetime, but a place his grandfather so very much wanted to return to.  
  
And that, Jake thought, was probably why he was here now. When Zeon had began its war of independence, he had been among the most eager to join the war. He wasn't really there for spacenoid independence like most of his comrades. He was just fighting to give back the home that his grandfather had lost and so loved. And fight eagerly, he did...  
  
He could still remember it all. From his first battle at Side 1, to the Ruum, and then those impromptu sorties Admiral Dozul used to order. He was pretty brave back then, he reflected. In fact, he was almost downright reckless. But his efforts hadn't been wasted. Had his old Zaku II survived the One Year War, people would have seen the silhouettes of four Salamis class cruisers painted under his cockpit, his kills so far during the war. That earned him the respect... and friendship, of his old unit. Men who he had considered as brothers. Men he thought he could never desert...  
  
Then, Zeon began to lose. And he began to lose heart. Slowly, but surely. And then, on December 23, UC 0079, something happened that he never thought would. His grandfather died, and everything he had fought for was wasted. But he couldn't abandon his companions. Especially the Captain, who had trusted him the most. And so he fought. Fought even as the overwhelming Federal Fleet attacked Solomon. But he didn't give up. And despite the carnage, they all did make it out alive. Only to find themselves assigned to the fire once again: At A Bao A Qu.  
  
And there, his world fell apart. His unit found itself facing an entire Federal battle squadron almost alone that day, and all of their pleas for help were ignored. He tried to fight back, he had even managed to score a direct hit on the bridge of the Federal Flagship. But it didn't stop the Flagship at all. It didn't stop even as it took hit after hit after hit from nearly every Zeon ship in the field. And even as the ship was enveloped in smoke, he could still remember it proudly displaying it name: Warspite.  
  
And lead by her, the battle squadron broke right through their line. And then, everybody began to die. Men he had known for over a year disappeared in less than a second. Often between a blink of an eye. And then... he ran. Ran even as the last of his companions, the Captain among them, stoically hung on to their positions. Positions that would become their graves...  
  
And then, he became nothing more than a coward. All he did was to run. To run away from failing his friends and companions. And when they dragged him off to fight for Delaz, everybody was expecting him to be somebody he no longer was...  
  
But no more... Jake thought as he looked at his companions, all of them still sleeping soundly. Today, he thought as he looked at the sun. Today was the day he would stand up and fight.  
-  
"You're still mad at me, aren't you?" Estella observed quietly as she saw Jefferson grumbling in his seat. He'd been acting like that since they left, and it was almost a relief that the journey was almost over.  
  
Jefferson grimaced a bit at her remark, before sighing loudly, "No..." he replied, "I'm just a little pissed off..."  
  
"There is no difference between being mad and being pissed off Arnie..." Estella replied matter of factly.  
  
"There is..." Jefferson countered with a sly smile, "There is a difference is severity. Pissed off is less severe than being mad. For a reporter, you have a pretty short vocabulary."  
  
"It doesn't really matter..." Estella replied with a sigh as she stretched herself in her seat, "All that really matter is that you're mad at me... So... I'm sorry..."  
  
"Estella?" Jefferson asked, surprised. Estella was just about as stubborn as Ming, not to mention even more persistent, so hearing her apologize at all was nothing short of surprising.  
  
"You know..." Estella continued on, "If we weren't so damn adventurous, we'd probably... Well... you know..."  
  
"Lovers?" Jefferson asked with a sigh as he looked up the shuttle's ceiling.  
  
"Probably more than that..." Estella replied as she sighed and looked up to the ceiling as well.  
  
"You're not just trying to seduce me to get more info from Ming, are you?" Jefferson asked a bit doubtfully.  
  
"Arnie..." Estella warned testily, quite mad at Jefferson's response to her... feelings.  
  
"Just kidding..." Jefferson replied with a mischievous grin as he saw Estella's fuming face. One that he found to enjoy seeing, "But that's us. We always take our work too seriously. Too seriously for either of us to ever settle down..."  
  
"Yeah but..." Estella started as she looked at Jefferson. Wondering what would either of them do when they were both old and frail, and could no longer continue the professions that had taken over much of their lives. Would they find that everything they did was all for nothing? Would she long to be with somebody, that far off in the future?  
  
"But?" Jefferson asked.  
  
"It's nothing..." Estella replied quietly as she looked out of the shuttle's window. From there, she could now see colonies of Side 2 rapidly coming to view. It was time to get to work, and the thought could probably wait. After all, it was still many years in the future.  
-  
"Welcome to Bunch 7 sir..." General Dolvich almost grumbled as General Nicolo appeared in the video link. Though the Warspite and her escorts were a welcome addition, he had already worked under the scheming Nicolo during the war. And his ambition had cost more lives than Dolvich could count.  
  
"Spare me the pleasantries Dolvich," Nicolo shot arrogantly back, "I'm here to reprimand a certain meddling Major around here. One that's probably the cause of this little predicament. And one that I'm very sure you know very well.  
  
"With all due respect sir," Dolvich replied as he tried to keep his anger under control, "The Major in question has done a very good job under the circumstances. And I am sure high command will see it that way."  
  
"Fine General, dig your own grave..." Nicolo continued on arrogantly, "We'll see who has General Corini's ear."  
-  
Nicolo trained dunderheads, as usual... Major Natalie Dolvich thought to herself as three GMs from the Lunar Fleet took its positions around the town. As was the standard among Nicolo's men, it was done with maximum arrogance and minimum common sense. All three GMs had positioned themselves right out in the open, without any cover whatsoever. Perfect targets for any sensible Delaz rebels still out there...  
  
"One of the GMs seems to be a new model mam," one of her staff officers observed as he pointed to a purple-black GM right in the middle of the town square.  
  
"Probably just a slightly modified GM Custom," Natalie replied as she also eyed the Mobile Suit. Or, she reflected, it could have been the new GM Quell she had been hearing about. The problem was she had no real idea how to tell, as the Custom and the Quell were almost visually identical, and she never really got into the details on the Quell's design. How Nicolo managed to get at least one high-performance suit on his fleet was beyond her however, especially since its markings seemed to indicate it was meant for Titan's use.  
  
"Mam, about their positions..." the staff officer started.  
  
"I know. They're out there begging to be shot. Those stupid morons..." Natalie replied bluntly, "I'll get them moved. Once I get permission from our "commanding officer" that is..." And if he doesn't listen, she thought on, then circumvention of orders might soon become a daily part of her routine.  
-  
"Alright sir, do we go with the plan now?" Jake asked as everybody finished chomping down a quick breakfast.  
  
"Yes, we go today," Ming replied coolly as he eyed Jake. He had been surprised to see him up before any of them. And he seemed different. His eyes now seemed firmer and unhesitating. He looked like a real soldier.  
  
"Then I guess we'd better get this show on the road," Horton agreed. The chances were still slim, he knew, but it was probably better than their chances of not being caught.  
  
"I... I'm with you..." Yun also added, albeit a bit nervously.  
  
"Sir, I'm going to tell you to give me up," Picton interrupted, "But I know you won't listen. If we're going, then let's go. Death of freedom awaits us."  
  
"Good..." Ming replied with a nod. At least his men were ready. However...  
  
"Oh, and sir..." Jake suddenly interjected as he remembered the same thing as Ming, "What about the doc?"  
-  
"He's fine now. Just make sure he gets ample water," Sandra reported as she finished examining her patient. Her third now this morning. She looked around the field hospital, still crammed with wounded men, and decided that this was her proper place. What Ming would do now... was something out of her hands.  
-  
Ming frowned as he saw the envelope. It was addressed to him, and probably left there on the table by Sandra. He sighed as he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. He began reading it immediately.  
  
Ming, I've gone to do my job in the field hospital. I won't stop you if that's what you really want, but please remember everything that I've told you. That's all and... I hope you find what you're looking for out there.  
  
Ming sighed as he finished reading her words. She would never approve of what he would do, he knew, but he had to do it. It was just him now. he was a soldier. He couldn't abandon his men...  
  
"What did she say sir?" Jake inquired as he saw Ming pocket the letter.  
  
"She didn't compromise the mission," Ming reassured, "We're going to execute the escape plan."  
-  
Sylvie could feel her stomach tighten into a tight ball as she saw Shang's corpse, a bullet hole neatly implanted in the back of his head. How his body and that of another had gone unnoticed was beyond her, but now the forensic team was on the job to...  
  
"Mam, I think we've found something," one of the MPs reported, "A couple of kids have come forward saying that they've seen those rebels that got Shang. It was those kids he saved in the battle..."  
  
"What did they say?" Sylvie inquired on as she tried to shake away the image of those kids. They had been traumatized by the battle, and seeing their savior die before their eyes had probably just made their situation worse.  
  
"Well, we ran a couple of photos on them, but we've only managed to identify one of them..." the MP continued on as he handed her a datapad, "They've identified one Captain Ming Chow. An ace pilot that became MIA after the war. Intel assumes that he joined the Delaz rebels after the war."  
  
"Anything else?" Sylvie inquired as she began to scan the file. Fairly good-looking guy, she thought, and strangely enough, he had the same birthday as her, and was exactly two years older than her. She shook that coincidence from her head and continued on reading the rest of the report.  
  
"That's about it," the MP reported solemnly, "Republic of Zeon or not, those Side 3 people are still quite touchy about releasing records of soldier who might possibly joined the rebels. They still must hate us for winning the war..."  
  
We actually won? Sylvie thought almost cynically but nodded her head nonetheless. The Zeon Captain's record was proving to be impressive, and he was probably more than a match for her in a Mobile Suit. But what she read next made her feel uncomfortable. His last assignment was at Side 2...  
  
I think I've seen him before... Sylvie suddenly realized as she scrolled back to his photograph. I know I've seen him before somewhere, but...  
  
Then she saw something that made her eyes go wide. It was the Ming's name written in Chinese. She was sure she had seen one of those characters in his name before somewhere... On the right shoulder of a certain Mobile suit that she could never forget...  
  
"Do you know what sort of Mobile Suit did he pilot during the war?" Sylvie suddenly inquired as a flash of thought entered her mind.  
  
"Hmm..." the MP started, "I'm not sure, because the file's a bit sketchy on that, but I think he was piloting an orange colored High-Mobility type that was causing merry hell for the 17th Fleet. I used to be an intel officer for the Side 2 theater of operations during the war..."  
  
Oh God... it IS him... Sylvie realized. It's him... He's the one who got Max... He's...  
  
He's the one who was with that lady doctor... Sylvie realized. That innocent looking couple she had let go. OH ! It WAS him! It was the guy who killed Max. The one who had sent her to her own merry little hell. And she had been so damn stupid to let him go and... !  
  
Max... damn it... I've failed you again. Just like how I couldn't say it to you when I should have... When... I said I hated you when I loved you... When I kept breaking your heart even though you tried everything to mend mine... and... and...  
  
"Damn it!" Sylvie finally said outloud. She was going to catch him, she swore to herself. For Max... For Shang... For me...  
  
"Mam?" the MP asked nervously as she saw the sudden fire in Sylvie's eyes.  
  
"Get your men together," Sylvie ordered, "We're going to hunt this guy down..."  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	17. Chapter 17: Finders Keepers

Chapter 17: Finders Keepers  
  
"Mam, give me a minute while..." a Federal private advised as he produced his lockpick kit. The clinic they had visited last night was now deserted and locked up, but the officer in charge...  
  
"Too slow..." Sylvie replied coldly as she took a deep breathe and stared at the door. Then, in one quick motion, she gave the door a vicious kick that caused one of its hinges to give way. Two more kicks ripped the door from the frame altogether, allowing her and her team to enter inside.  
  
"We'll begin the search," one of the MPs reported as he quickly scanned the clinic's interior, "But from the looks of it the place has been empty for a while. Are you sure those rebels could be around here?"  
  
"Positive," Sylvie replied quickly and quietly as she scanned the floor of the clinic, looking for any possible sign of that murderer who...  
  
"Captain!" one of the MPs declared as he pointed to the stairs leading to the basement, "I think I've found some blood!"  
  
"Show me," Sylvie ordered on as another MP guided her towards the spot. It was just a fairly large puddle, but there was no other drops indicating a trail that might lead to the rebels. Damn bad luck, she thought. She then quickly bent down over the spot and touched the sticky red substance with her fingers. It was still warm, and HE was still nearby. -  
"I wish we had a better plan than this..." Yun complained as he took a peek around the next corner they had to traverse. Thankfully, it was still empty. But with every corner the chances of being found were...  
  
"We have no choice," Ming answered quietly as he signaled Yun to go forward. At least, he thought, they weren't carrying Picton. They had decided to split up into two groups once they had set out from the clinic to avoid being caught all at once, and surprisingly, Jake had volunteered to take the injured Picton with him along with Horton. Strange of the man, he reflected. He had been as meek as a mouse during his time in the Delaz Fleet, and now Ming could not understand what could have changed his demeanor.  
  
"!" Yun suddenly muttered under his breath, "I see two Federal Mobile Suits around the next corner! We can't pass through here!"  
  
"Let me see..." Ming ordered as he took a peek around the corner himself. There were indeed two enemy Mobile Suits out there, one of them a new model. But there was something strange about those Mobile Suits...  
  
"Sir... there's something strange about that new Mobile Suit..." Yun said outloud as he also noticed what Ming had seen.  
  
"The cockpit's empty," Ming finished for Yun.  
-  
"I would like to remind you MAJOR, that I am still in command of this operation and..." an arrogant voice ranted on over the radio.  
  
Dunderhead.... Natalie thought as she listened to the excuses Nicolo was making for his men, and largely dismissed them from her higher brain functions. It was because she knew that moron would just find a way to throw the blame back to her instead of taking it himself. That gutless... stupid... idiotic... piss poor excuse for a General officer that should have been summarily lynched, run over by a freight train, fried slowly over an open flame, castrated, and a thousand other extremely mean and violent ways of causing excruciating pain that she was now conjuring up in her head. And yes, she thought to herself, she didn't give a damn if she was being downright evil. A quick death just seemed to good for an ahole like Nicolo.  
  
"With all due respect sir..." a new, cooler voice suddenly interjected before Nicolo could continue with his witch trial, "The Major is STILL the officer on the field, and the rules of logic and sound military strategy dictate that she, not you, is the best decision-maker as she is the one who is closest to the actual action taking place. Therefore, her orders to your troops were completely justifiable, if not already the correct course of action." It was the elder Dolvich.  
  
Natalie scowled at her father's remark. He was right, and he had the authority to say it to Nicolo as a fellow General officer, but she hated him for it. Mostly hated anyway, as part of her did find relief in somebody finally standing up against that rabble rousing Nicolo. But still...  
  
"General Dolvich, you may be a flag officer but I must remind you that..." Nicolo started.  
  
"Excuse me sir," yet another voice added, this one much younger than the first, "But the Major has been doing the right thing."  
  
Natalie turned her head and quickly saw who it was who had just said that last remark, and who she saw surprised her. It was Ivan, who had been monitoring the little argument since it had begun several minutes ago.  
  
"Ettu Brute?" Nicolo muttered angrily at the Brevet Captain, "Damn it! What is this?! Some sort of sick joke you are all playing?! Or is it a an outright mutiny?! I am still in command here and..."  
  
Mutiny? Natalie thought. Oh that's one VERY nice idea. Great, I'm a ing mutineer now for telling his idiotically trained and spoiled pilots how to get things done. A damn ing...  
  
"Excuse me sir," Ivan interrupted once again, keeping his voice remarkably calm compared to Nicolo's frantic accusations, "But according to the new rules governing Titans operations, Titans field officers have complete authority over any scene of colonial rebellion, such as this incident, and could take command of any low-level Federal unit in the area as long as the operation is taking place. Moreover, Titans officers are subject only to the authority of Titans High Command, and are NOT subject to any regular Federal flag officers such as yourself."  
  
"Not subject to a flag officer such as myself?! SUCH AS MYSELF?!" Nicolo practically screamed into the radio, "Don't you know who is supposed to be the next field commander of the Titans?!"  
  
"Excuse me sir," Ivan continued on calmly, much to the amusement and respect of the surprised Natalie, "But according to my list, you are not yet a member of the Titans, sir. Therefore any of your wishes must be forwarded to either the Federal or Titans High Command, who will evaluate your orders before passing them to us."  
  
"Actually, the Captain IS right sir," General Dolvich agreed in as playful a tone as he could manage. All three listeners smiled as Nicolo began to splutter out a series of curses before calming down.  
  
"Very well then..." Nicolo muttered, anger still clear in his voice, "I will contact General Corini, and we'll see who's right or wrong. And believe me, all of you had better prepare to be writing new resumes..."  
  
Oh... Scary... Natalie mocked in her head as Nicolo finally signed off. Beside her, she saw Ivan breathe a sigh of relief.  
  
"That ought to keep him out of our backs for a while..." Ivan managed to say outloud as he managed to gather his thoughts together.  
  
"Why the sudden change of heart Captain?" Natalie asked as she deliberately faced away from Ivan, wanting to make sure she betrayed none of her emotions to him, "I never thought you'd stand up for me."  
  
"I'm sorry mam," Ivan apologized, "I'm just trying to make up for being an enormous a when we met. My arrogance was completely misplaced, and that had cost the lives of men better than me. I now know better, and I'll try not to disappoint you again."  
  
"Well, you most certainly haven't been disappointing me," Natalie replied as she turned to meet Ivan, a small smile now playing on her lips, "Keep it up, soldier."  
  
"Thank you mam," Ivan replied solemnly, the memory of Kyle and the others still fresh in his mind.  
  
"Don't let it go to your head yet though," Natalie warned as she began to tap Ivan's forehead, "You STILL pilot a Mobile Suit like s, and before you make your commission permanent I want you to prove to me that you can handle yourself in a GM, got it? I don't want to see Captains who get their aes blown off easily."  
  
"IF we manage to keep our commissions..." Ivan reminded, though not really minding if he got sacked anymore.  
  
"Don't worry," Natalie assured, "We won't."  
-  
EFSF Flagship Agincourt, Half an hour from Bunch 7  
  
"Any news sir?" Titans Captain Thomas Eaton Hawkins asked in his thick, British accent as he entered the bridge. He had been preparing his elite Titans Mobile Suit Team for any possible combat upon their arrival at Bunch 7, and was as visibly annoyed as his tough demeanor would ever allow.  
  
"Yes, for your eyes only," Brigadier General Heinrich Pluskat replied as he handed the Captain an encoded datapad, "Captain, although I favored the formation of the Titans, I think that the autonomy you have been afforded has been a bit excessive, has it not?"  
  
"Such autonomy is essential to ensure security, sir," Hawkins replied as he coolly decrypted the message. The Captain's demeanor was serious as he read through the message, but the slightest hint of a smile could be detected after he had finished reading it.  
  
"Anything amusing?" the Prussian Pluskat asked as he noticed the smile, and feeling quite frustrated at being left out of any important details.  
  
"Don't worry sir, I believe this message contains nothing that would cause you any great concern," Hawkins replied in as a dignified manner as his Oxford schooling had taught him, "It may be of concern however, to another flag officer in Bunch 7."  
  
"Another flag officer?" Pluskat inquired, "Who?"  
  
"Oh, I'm very sorry sir, but I'm afraid I can't tell just yet," the Captain replied with a slight grin, "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, would I?" And with that, he turned to leave.  
  
"Fine, don't tell me..." Pluskat muttered as he saw Hawkins walk out of earshot. But at least he knew that he himself wasn't on the chopping block. Annoying as that Brit was sometimes, he was still an honest and honorable man, and was extremely technically proficient. Qualities he knew he would be needing when they reached Bunch 7.  
-  
"God damn it! You call this coffee?!" Captain Quentin, squad leader for the Warspite's MS complement, demanded after he had a taken a swig from the rations the Federal troops in the town had provided. He had complained about the food. He had complained about the town. He had complained at just about everything.  
  
"Ungrateful bugger..." one of the mess cooks muttered as he saw the idiotic Quentin rant on. it had just been bad luck that moron had parked his shiny new GM right in front of a temporary kitchen, and had immediately left his Mobile Suit totally unguarded to have a meal that he was readily calling as nothing more than "filth". .  
  
"You know... somebody really ought to guard that new gadget of his..." another mess cook suggested, wary that a Zeon rebel or two might still be out there.  
  
"The camp's guarded," the first reminded, "It'll take a miracle for any of those rebels to get through the guards patrolling around here. Besides which, what makes you so sure they could pilot GMs anyway?"  
-  
"Sir... this is crazy..." Yun warned as they climbed up the last flight of stairs. They were on an abandoned building standing right beside the empty Mobile Suit in an effort to find away to "liberate" the Mobile Suit. By taking this route, they HAD avoided the numerous Federal patrols guarding the Mobile Suit, but the machine was still a good few meters away from the building, and unless Ming was planning to fly through the air...  
  
"Alright, I think we can do this from here..." Ming declared as they reached the roof of the building that directly faced the Mobile Suit's cockpit. The metallic ramp was still a few feet away, but if he could jump far enough...  
  
"Sir, it' too far..." Yun started, "If you jump, you'll probably..."  
  
"Get myself a Mobile Suit to fight with," Ming replied coldly, "Stay here if you want, but I'm taking a chance with that Mobile Suit!"  
  
"Sir! Think! Even if you DO get to that ing Mobile Suit there's scores of Federal troops out there and..."  
  
"I can do it," Ming promised, "Trust me." -  
"Alright... what now?" the mess cook muttered as he heard that idiot Quentin start wailing again. It was suddenly followed by the sound of gunshots, and the mess crew instinctively ducked for cover.  
  
"It's one of those rebels!" a Federal private screamed as he fired a volley at bullets at the rooftop of the abandoned building. More fire followed, as the enraged Quentin started to run towards his machine.  
  
But Ming paid no heed to the commotion happening on the ground now. All he cared for now was getting to that Mobile Suit and having a fighting chance as a soldier again. It was all he had. Anything else had proved painful as the previous night had shown, and now he had no more hesitations. He jumped even as a plethora of bullets whizzed through the air...  
  
And he was hit. Squarely on the shoulder, just as he jumped. And his jump fell short.  
  
But Ming didn't die. Not just yet. His jump had fallen short, but he had just barely managed to grab the edge of the ramp with both of his hands as he began to tumble towards the ground. The pain on his shoulder became unbearable, but he had to hold on to live. Unfortunately, hanging on the end of the ramp had also made him a perfect target for enemy marksmen.  
  
It was then Yun had decided to act. Picking out the lone grenade his group had left, he quickly pulled the pin and threw it to the ground below, before taking some cover once again. The resulting explosion didn't kill anything, but it did give Ming the shortest of respites as the Federal troops instinctively stopped firing and dropped for cover.  
  
And it was a respite that Ming was only too willing to exploit. Knowing that the fire would come back very shortly, he heaved his way up the ramp, even as his shoulder threatened to shear off as he did so. Finally, after a seemingly endless period of time to Ming but actually only lasting a few short but crucial seconds to his Federal assailants below, Ming managed to clamber himself up on top of the ramp of the Mobile Suit's cockpit.  
  
But by then the Federal troops began to open up again, and Ming found himself hit again, this time the bullet grazing his neck, just as he managed to jump into the pilot's seat. A few more shots nearly took his head off just before he managed to close the cockpit.  
  
"Oooooh !" one of the mess cooks exclaimed as he realized the rebel was in that brand new GM. All he could hope now was that that rebel didn't have a clue how to...  
  
And then the Mobile Suit began moving. Began moving straight towards him. And as he looked around, everybody had begun to flee, saved for Captain Quentin who was still firing madly at the Mobile Suit with his pistol. He didn't bother to try to save the Captain anymore. He simply turned and fled.  
  
Meanwhile, the awe-struck Yun watched on from his position as Ming began to aim the GM's machine gun at his first target of the day. Below him, a battle-crazed Federal Captain defiantly but futily fired his pistol, oblivious to the giant machine gun now aimed at him. Ming then fired a single shot, and Quentin was killed instantly.  
-  
Damn it... Sylvie thought. Where the hell is he? Where the hell is...  
  
Suddenly, a stream of 90mm shells passed over her head and headed for one of the GM Kais taking up positions at the end of the town. The GM never saw the shells start coming, and never would. Ming had struck its ammunition compartment, caused a massive explosion that instantly took out the GM and killed its pilot. But that was only half of it, as the rest of the ammo began to cook off and sent shrapnel flying all over the town, killing a dozen exposed men.  
  
Sylvie quickly turned her head where the fire had come from, in time to see the GM Quell fire another volley that exploded a second GM Kai. And in an instant, a flash of thought entered Sylvie's mind. There was no doubt about it. It was him. -  
"Even you? Brutus?" A line taken from the play Julius Ceaser.  
  
Oh, and much like Redcomet's fics, I've turned to books for the basis of some of the new names in this chapter. Most of the come from Cornelius' The Longest Day. Probably most noticable is the surname Pluskat, who's the poor German Captain who finds himself right smack dab in the center of the combined allied naval bombardment on D-Day . Don't worry. He survived.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	18. Chapter 18: Convergence of Wills

Chapter 18: Convergence of Wills  
  
Damn it... Sylvie thought as she began to run towards the nearest MS hangar containing her own personal GM Custom. She had to stop him. She had to stop that b. By her own hands and none other. If not, she'd just keep regretting it for...  
  
"Mam! Wait up!!!" one of the MP screamed as he dodged some of the flying debris now flying all over the town caused by all the explosions, wondering how the hell could that Captain run through all of it without getting scratched, "We've got plenty of troops in this area. Some of them could probably..."  
  
"That IS what I'm worried about!" Sylvie shouted back as she coolly, almost lazily, jumped over a pile of debris that had just landed right in front of her. She then ducked down as another piece flew right over her head, before recovering and running once again. A distant part of herself told her that she wasn't really thinking anymore, that she really wasn't herself anymore. All she was now was a cold, calculating machine, running only on instinct and her own will. And her will right now, was telling her to kill Ming Chow.  
--------------- "Oh !" Jin exclaimed as a fifth GM Kai exploded from the renegade Mobile Suit's fire. The lone Mobile Suit had quickly chopped through two entire squads and achieved single mission ace status in less than three minutes. Who... who could...  
  
"! Why aren't be ordered to get out there and get that guy yet?" one of Jin's wingmen complained as he tried to give some covering fire to the surviving GM Kai. Jin's squad had been ordered to guard one of the MS hangars still waiting for their pilots to strap in, but those pilots, all of them belonging to Nicolo's fleet, were still nowhere to be found.  
  
So many people dying... Jin thought as he saw more explosions well up in the town center as the enemy Mobile Suit hunted down the last GM Kai and ripped it apart with a controlled volley of shells. The hulking wreck of the GM Kai collapsed on the ground, crushing several buildings as it did so. Jin wasn't sure if anybody was on those buildings that just went down, or if anymore were caught in the blast as the GM's ammunition cooked off.  
  
I'm just a useless runt... Jin thought to himself. I didn't stop that crazed officer yesterday, and now so many children are dead. I didn't... I didn't...  
  
"! INCOMING!!!" Jin's wingman screamed as the renegade GM pointed its machinegun at them and fired off a volley. He tried to aim his gun at it, but before he could fire, Ming's shells struck true exploding the GM Kai's head and toppling it to the ground, "I'm down!" the wingman managed to scream before his communications were knocked out and was replaced by static.  
  
Useless... Jin thought as the Quell began to aim its gun at him. I'm just a useless...  
  
"For God's sake Lieutenant!" a female voice suddenly screamed into the microphone, "Don't just ing stand there! Shoot!" It was Major Dolvich.  
  
Shoot? Jin thought. He couldn't. Not with his sort of weapons. His cannons would blow holes in the colony, while his machinegun could...  
  
"Fool..." Ming muttered in contempt as he aimed his gun right at the GM Cannon II staying still right in front of him. Unlike the other, pitiful pilots he had faced who at the very least tried to fight for their lives, this one was staying still and begging to die. He fired.  
  
Jin saw the tracers coming and knew that it was it, and immediately felt several explosions rock his Mobile Suit a second afterwards. His Mobile Suit then began to fall back, trailing smoke, before smashing into a massive heap on the ground.  
-  
Oh GREAT! Natalie thought as Jin's GM Cannon II smashed into the ground. The eighth and last manned Mobile Suit they had in the vicinity of the town. They hadn't stood a chance against the rebel pilot on the GM Quell, who was clearly showing off his skills as a Zeon ace. She might have had a chance against him... But with her GM on the other side of the town and their need for sound leadership...  
  
"This is General Nicolo!" a new voice suddenly screamed from the radio, "My men are not responding! What have you..."  
  
"Cut it off and say it's Minovsky interference," Natalie ordered immediately before she could hear Nicolo rant some more. Of the eight burning GMs out there, six had come from his fleet, and there was no question who was responsible for their insufficient training.  
  
"Major, I know about that old Minovsky interference trick, what the hell is really happening out there?" another voice suddenly asked over a more secure radio. It was General Dolvich.  
  
Natalie grimaced at that. Despite everything, he was still her biological father and a good soldier. Too good a soldier. One who knew almost all of her old tricks and excuses. She hesitated before answering, "One of the rebels managed to steal Nicolo's brand new toy and it just chopped through the Warspite's and the Moltke's MS teams like they were nothing. I no longer have any active Mobile Suits still in the area as most of General Nicolo's pilots are... engaged in some sort of "tactical maneuvering". I need help, NOW."  
  
"I'm sending the Yamashiro's Mobile Suit Team to your area right now, though they will take a while," the elder Dolvich quickly replied, "So you'd all better be careful... and Major, good euphemism. Dolvich out."  
  
Natalie took a deep breath after she had finished hearing him sign off. Thanks... she thought, Dad.  
-  
Ming stood astride the now smoking GM Cannon II as he began to survey the hangar they had been guarding. Three Mobile Suits along with their accompanying weaponry had been stored in it, all of them regular GM Kais. A few Federal foot soldiers initially tried to fight back, but they ran as soon as Ming began to motion his machine gun towards them. Hopefully, if Jake and the others had any sense...  
  
"Hey Ming! Thanks for the ride!" a familiar voice suddenly declared over the radio as one of the GM Kais began to stand up on its own. It was Jake.  
  
"What's you status Lieutenant?" Ming asked coolly as he tried to tie up some cloth on his shoulder wound. It had hurt and bled a lot while he had been fighting, but only now did he feel its full effects.  
  
"Pretty okay," Jake replied, "Horton's taking Picton on the second GM Kai, while Yun's going to try his hand with the third. With these suits, we might really have a chance now..."  
  
"I know," Ming replied as he finished tying up his wound and reduced the bleeding considerably, "But they'll all be hunting us by now. We need to get to the docks, fast."  
-  
Sylvie wasted no time climbing up the ladder to her GM Custom's cockpit as soon as she arrived at the hangar. She was going to get him... She was going to...  
  
"Mam! For pity's sake don't go out there alone!" one of the MP warned as he staggered into the hangar, panting as he did so, "They've stolen another three GMs and..."  
  
"Where are they headed?" Sylvie asked coolly as she strapped herself into the cockpit and slammed the door shut. All systems were green.  
  
"They're heading for the docks!" the MP shouted loud enough for Sylvie to hear, "Mam! You don't need to go! They've already got several squads ready to..."  
  
"This is GM Custom 01, 44th Company. Captain Sylvie Gressiere. I'm going!"  
-  
"Sylvie's doing WHAT?!" Natalie asked as she began to listen to the frenzied reports of Federal troops shadowing the rebel force now heading for the docks.  
  
"She's gone out on her own!" the man on the other end of the radio reported, "I think she's going to try to kill'm all by herself!"  
  
Oh ... Natalie thought. This wasn't good. If she was misidentified by those GMs now guarding the docks...  
  
But no... Natalie thought. She trusted Sylvie. She wouldn't get herself killed. In fact, she was probably the only match for whoever it was who was piloting that damn GM Quell. Even aces couldn't beat everybody they faced. Especially when the opponent was no ordinary pilot. A type of pilot that was called freaks by many but held in awe by many others, including herself. And Sylvie was definitely one of them.  
-  
"Damn it! What do you mean we're restricted to the dock area?!" Estella screamed into the face of a young Federal private trying to explain the situation to her, and failing. She was pissed off. She had arrived in Bunch 7 to cover a story that could prove to be of the greatest importance for her people, only to be stopped by a snibbling, Federal private who wasn't even sure of what was happening...  
  
"Estella, stop it," Jefferson warned.  
  
"But Arnie!" Estella complained on.  
  
"There are other ways," Jefferson whispered as he dragged her away from the now relieved Federal private, "I wasn't a dock worker at Von Braun for nothing you know."  
  
"What do you mean Arnie?" Estella asked as she took another look at the Federal private that had stopped them, grimacing as she did so.  
  
Jefferson grinned as he produced a keycard, before saying, "There are many ways out of the docks Estella, and THIS is a master keycard."  
--------------- "Another flash traffic..." General Pluskat reported as he handed Captain Hawkins another datapad, visibly annoyed once again as he did so.  
  
"Oh, thank you sir," Hawkins replied politely as he punched in his access code, careful to make sure that Pluskat hadn't seen it. He grinned as he read the message. It seemed the Nevada's skipper was proving to be quite useful, after all...  
  
"Captain, there's also a report of fighting on Bunch 7..." Pluskat warned.  
  
"Oh yes sir, I'm very well aware of that thank you very much," Hawkins replied quickly and pleasantly, "That is why we are going there, after all."  
-  
"They're moving pretty quickly..." a lookout reported over the radio, "They might get to the dockyards in a few minutes. My team's going to try to take them down with anti-tank rockets but..."  
  
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion over the radio, and the transmission was replaced by static.  
  
Crap... Captain Vaclav Unger thought as he realized that the lookout teams trailing the Zeon troops had been spotted and wiped out. But he'd avenge them. He and his three Mobile Suit pilots from the Yamashiro would make sure of that. They were only a short distance from the docks now, but his squad of four had now prepared a devilish little ambush for those Delaz rebels...  
  
"I see one of them!" one of his men suddenly reported, "A GM Kai with markings from the cruiser Phoenix. Those are the ones those rebels stole."  
  
"Just one?" Unger inquired. That was bad. Had those rebels split up?  
  
"Should I take him down sir?" another pilot asked.  
  
"Keep calm and don't shoot him yet," the Captain replied, "Remember, there are four of them out there..."  
-  
"I don't see anything..." Yun reported nervously as inched his way slowly towards the docks, "I think it's probably safe for us to..."  
  
"Yun... I think you'd better duck..." Jake suddenly ordered as calmly as he could as he tightened his grip on the trigger, waiting for the right moment...  
  
Duck? Yun thought. What did he mean by...  
  
Suddenly, a stream of tracers streaked out from behind Yun and struck several low hills in front of him. At first, Yun though that somebody in his group had just wasted some ammunition...  
  
...but then suddenly, a second, much larger explosion followed the first, sending metallic debris flying all over the air. And then, three giant figures began to rise from the ground...  
  
"OPEN FIRE!" Captain Unger ordered angrily as he aimed his machine gun at the sole exposed rebel GM Kai. They had been spotted now, and there was nothing to be gained by hiding.  
  
Yun's eyes went wide as he realized that he was now facing three enemy Mobile Suits, and immediately felt himself beginning to wet his pants. With little else to do, he tried to duck as he was told, but it was too late. Three shells smashed into the knee joint of his Mobile Suit and immobilized the giant machine completely, while another three shells ripped off his arm. And Yun could only scream.  
  
But by then another two sets of shells were heading right towards the Federal Mobile Suits, fired by both Ming and Jake. Ming's shells hit their target, but the shots were deflected by the GM's shield. Jake's shots however, struck true, exploding a second Federal GM.  
  
By then, Captain Unger had spotted the rest of the Delaz rebels, and had begun to shift his fire to them. His first volley lopped an arm off one of the GM Kais, while a second nearly smashed into a second one's head. But then the enemy suits fired again, exploding his last surviving wingman, and ripping his own Suit's knee apart, collapsing his Mobile Suit towards the ground...  
  
Jake saw this, and held his fire at the now crippled GM. But then, the GM began to raise its gun once again and fired, the shots just being barely deflected by Ming's shield. Both Ming and Jake fired at the still defiant GM Kai, and their combined shots ripped the pitifully crippled GM apart, killing its pilot and adding more carnage to the killing field that was now Bunch 7.  
  
"Alright, let's move on," Ming ordered as he took a look at the damage they had suffered. Horton's GM had lost an arm, while Yun's seemed to be beyond repair. He'd have to assign somebody to pick him up... "Yun, if you can't fix your Mobile Suit get off it and transfer to Jake's unit. We don't have time to..."  
  
"You won't..." a new voice suddenly creeped into their radios. A cold, almost possessed voice. A voice that was a mixture of outmost sadness and unquenchable hate. One that seemed to have come from the dead rather than the living. And it was the voice of a woman.  
  
Suddenly, a volley of shells streaked down towards Ming's position. Ming seemed surprised, but at the last moment he side stepped out of the way. The rest of his men were soon frantically searching around, trying to find where...  
  
"First to die... Who will it be?" the possessed voice continued on, as another volley of shells streaked towards Ming's group from an entirely different direction. This time, the shots struck true, punching several holes into Jake's GM Kai, damaging a few non-vital systems.  
  
"! Who the hell is this?!" Horton shouted as he tried frantically to search for the source of the fire once again, only to find himself the target of the next volley. A volley that took off his GM's head.  
  
"A ghost..." the female voice continued on, "A ghost from the war three years past."  
  
"Damn it! She's toying with us!" Ming growled angrily as he took a look at the GM's internal clock. They were wasting time, and their ticket out of here might just slip by, "All of you! Get out of here now! I'll handle her!"  
  
"But Ming, the rendezvous point!" Jake reminded, not wanting to leave Ming out of the whole point of their escape, "And what about Yun?! He's not in the GM anymore and I can't find him on the ground!'  
  
"I'll get there in time, AND I'll bring Yun with me. Trust me," Ming promised. And with that, Jake and Horton began to head towards the dock, entrusting their fate to Ming.  
  
"Oh? Showing your tails off to me now?" the voice taunted on, "I guess you're all cowards, after all?"  
  
"I am no coward! I am a Captain of the Principality of Zeon and a proud member of the Delaz Fleet!" Ming shouted back defiantly as he evaded the next stream of bullet heading towards him and firing a quick volley in return, "If you want to get them, you'll have to get through ME!"  
  
"Oh... then thank you, Captain," the voice replied in a playful, almost mocking tone, "It seems we have been thinking of the same thing today..."  
  
Damn it... Ming thought. Whoever you are, I'm not going to let you kill any of my men, he thought to himself. I'm not going to be the one going to an early grave, you crazy Federal b. In fact, many Sons of Delaz may have died because of her presence here, and killing her would avenge many of them. So much the better.  
  
Finally... my chance... the last, sane part of Sylvie thought on as she aimed at Ming's GM. At last, I'll be able to avenge him. To be able to redeem myself to him, even if it was just a little. She didn't care anymore if she had just lost any part of her soul she still had left. Her life had now just boiled down to either killing Ming and finally setting herself free, or as free as her tormented spirit would ever allow, or to die trying. Either way, it was better than living on as a rotting corpse. Living on as a ghost, just as her voice had been taunting Ming a few moments ago. A voice, she knew, that would never be hers again...  
  
And with that, Sylvie tightened her grip on the trigger, focusing everything to the task at hand. For Max. For Shang. For all those pilots who had died, including Jin. And for the person that I was...  
  
At the same time, Ming also tightened his grip on the trigger, with only one thing in his mind: The death of his enemy. He quickly scanned his monitors left and right, waiting for any sign...  
  
But Sylvie already had Ming dialed in her sights. And now her finger was ever slowly increasing the pressure on the trigger...  
  
And then, Ming saw her, crouching right behind him. And he began to turn.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	19. Chapter 19: The Last Fight for Vengeance

Chapter 19: The Last Fight for Vengeance  
  
And so, two people who had survived thee war three years ago finally met each other on the field of battle. To settle their scores. To avenge their loved ones. And for one, to regain her soul...  
  
And the first shot, was fired by Sylvie.  
  
Just as Ming began to turn Sylvie let loose her first three shots of the battle. For any other pilot, it should have been the end, but Ming was no ordinary pilot. He was an ace.  
  
And use his skills he did. As he turned around he saw the tracers start streaking towards him, and he quickly maneuvered his Mobile Suit to duck down into the ground. It was only partially effective, as two of the three shells still found their mark. But these shells, meant to rip through Ming's cockpit, struck an armor belt in the Quell's chest instead. Saving Ming and giving him a chance to shoot back.  
  
And shoot back he did, sending three shots towards Sylvie in return. Sylvie saw the tracers come as well, but she was already side stepping out of the way. Unlike Ming, she evaded all three shots entirely, before firing another burst at Ming.  
  
But Ming was already moving, and he shot back as he leapt backwards out of the harm's way. Sylvie, likewise, evaded and fired a volley in return as she dodged out of the way of the incoming bullets, only to see her shots deflected by Ming's shield.  
  
And then, there was a lull. The briefest of lulls in this duel. A lull as both Mobile Suits threw out their now empty clips and slammed a fresh one into their waiting machine guns. And together, both Mobile Suits began to raise their guns towards each other... ready to fire...  
  
And at exactly the same time, both Ming and Sylvie found themselves staring at the barrels of each other's guns. Neither fired. Yet.  
  
Ming felt a sweat drop slowly roll down his cheek as he stared at the enemy Mobile Suit, hesitant to shoot. It was a deadly stand off, neither willing to make a move before the other...  
  
And Sylvie stared on as she felt herself breathing harder. She was now waiting, biding her time before she finished off her prey. How great it would feel to finally be free. Free of all of the trappings that had enslaved her these past three years. All caused by this one man. There would be no mercy now. She fired.  
  
Ming immediately saw this, and fired back while evading. Sylvie dodged his return fire, while producing a grenade of her own. Ming tried to shoot her again, but before he could do so a grenade had begun tumbling towards his Mobile Suit, and he jumped... jumped to get out of the way...  
  
And he made it, but just barely, as the grenade threw up a huge cloud of dirt in front of him. By the time it had subsided, the enemy GM was nowhere to be seen.  
-  
"Halt!" a Federal GM Kai pilot ordered as two of the enemy Mobile Suits appeared before them, "Stop or we will..."  
  
But Jake paid not heed to their warnings, and immediately charged the trio of GM Kais still guarding the docks. All three opened up at once, but Jake suddenly threw a grenade in their midst, exploding one GM Kai while knocking the other two to the ground.  
  
"Damn it... those blasted rebels..." a surviving pilot muttered as he tried to get his Mobile Suit to stand once again. Before he could do so, a GM suddenly appeared right over him and aimed its machine gun at him. He was just about to scream outloud when he saw a flash.  
  
"I won't... I won't let you..." the third and final GM pilot declared as he began to right his GM to face Jake. But Jake never gave him the chance to fight again. He rushed the last GM Kai and smythed it with his shield, shattering its mono sensor. As the Mobile Suit crumpled back down to the ground, Jake fired a final volley, blowing its cockpit apart.  
  
"Damn... if we had only gotten to those Mobile Suits yesterday..." Horton observed.  
  
"Yeah... but it's too late now, ain't it?" Jake replied as he started to move his GM Kai over to the airlock, "You think we can get out from here?"  
  
"I think that airlock leads directly out to space..." Picton answered as he tried to take a look at the airlock's markings, "But we don't have the access codes to..."  
  
"We won't need access codes..." Jake replied as he reached into his GM's backpack and produced one of the weapons that had been instrumental to the Federal victory during the One Year War: A beam saber.  
-  
"Mam!" Ivan shouted as the report came in, "The Lion's Mobile Suit squad just bought it, and those rebels now have control of the docks. And... Oh ! They're trying to break a airlock open!"  
  
"If that airlock isn't broken open properly..." Natalie started.  
  
"We're going to have massive decompression in the areas near the docks," Ivan finished for his commanding officer, "We're going to suffer serious casualties if we don't..."  
  
Natalie merely nodded as she grabbed the microphone, "This is Major Dolvich! Evacuate the docks! GET EVERYBODY OUT NOW!"  
-  
"Arnie, what's going on?!" Estella asked worriedly as alarm claxons began to ring all around them.  
  
"..." Jefferson muttered, "It's a major decompression warning. We need to seal off this room now!"  
  
"But if we don't get out of here... my chance to get word from Ming..." Estella started.  
  
"Ming can handle himself," Jefferson replied as he quickly locked down all the doors and prayed that this room didn't give way. Being ejected out into space was a horrid way to die, he knew, seeing from the bodies they had recovered in several accidents that had happened in the past. You were both freezed and cooked at the same time, all the while realizing that you were dying as your lungs exploded from the lack of air pressure. And if you were really unlucky, your horrid little corpse would fly in space forever, trapped in the final, agonizing pose that you were in just before you died. Wonderful. Even incineration was probably a better death than that... "Because I am certainly NOT going to risk being ejected out into space."  
-  
"You're all crazy!" the chief medical officer screamed as he saw one of his ambulances getting ready to go to the devastated dock yard area, "Don't you know you might get blown out into space?! Don't you even realize there is still shooting out there!?"  
  
"I'll take responsibility!" Sandra screamed back as she hopped on into the ambulance's front seat, "There are injured men out there, and they need my help now!"  
-  
"Almost there..." Jake muttered as he felt his GM now slowly being sucked into the massive gouges he had made on the airlock using his beam saber. Small objects that had littered the docks were now being sucked by the onrushing air and ejected out into space, including, much to his horror and disgust, several corpses that they had left lying around in the docks.  
  
"Alright! I think you can kick it off now!" Picton advised.  
  
"Got it..." Jake replied as he turned off his beam saber and returned it to its rack. He then kicked the airlock as he was told. He did not expect what happened next.  
  
As he kicked the airlock its seals finally gave way, but the onrushing air suddenly picked up his own Mobile Suit and dragged both his and Horton's GM Kai into the space, along with nearly everything inside the dock area that was not tied down. But it was what he saw outside that shocked him. Federal Battleships. At least two of them. Guarded by half a dozen cruisers and even more Mobile Suits. But it was one of the battleships that had caught his attention. Its bridge. Its superstructure. Its elegant and beautiful hull lines. Its deadly and foreboding cannons. It was her. The ship he could never forget. It was the Warspite.  
  
"Oh ..." Horton managed to say outloud despite his shock, "! This is it! We've had it!"  
  
Just to emphasize that fact, several Mobile Suits began to rocket towards both Horton and Jake firing their guns as they did so. But they were still too far away, and most of their rounds missed. But Jake paid no heed to them. Only the Warspite held his complete attention.  
  
"Jake... what do we do?" Horton asked nervously as he began to pray quietly on his own. This was it... from the frying pan and into the fire... and they were so close...  
  
"Horton," Jake replied as he took one last look at his companion, "I'll handle this. Goodbye, friend..."  
  
"Jake?" Horton asked as Jake's Mobile Suit seemed to ready itself for the battle ahead. He wasn't thinking of...  
  
"Oh ... he's not..." Picton exclaimed.  
  
He did. To Jake, this was now all about sinking the ship that had gotten all of his friends and companions. To him, only one thing now mattered: Sinking the Warspite. And so, he began to move towards the Federal lines, slowly at first, but then gaining speed as his GM Kai accelerated forward...  
  
"We have to..." Horton started.  
  
"GO! NOW!" Jake ordered as he rushed towards the first group of GMs, firing his machine gun as he did so and exploding one of them, while a second began to trail smoke. The third fired back, reducing his shield to scrap, but then Jake lopped off the surviving GM's arms and forced it to retire as well...  
  
"Damn it Jake... don't..." Picton started.  
  
"I... I'm afraid we have to..." Horton replied as he began to move his own GM away from the battlefield. Slowly, and stealthily, his own GM began to leave the battlefield behind him. The chances were still slim, but Jake was now giving his life for there to be any chance at all. Horton felt himself blinking away a tear...  
  
But Jake was not about to give his life away needlessly, as he quickly weaved his way through the intense fire now being thrown at him. Beams from every Federal warship lanced out at him, but all he cared about was hitting the Warspite. He could do it. He still had a few grenades and...  
  
Another three GMs began to head towards him, determined to intercept him before he could do any damage to the ships. Jake fired at the lead GM, lopping its head off, but the other two fired back, ripping off his arm and a leg. His maneuverability, and much of his staying power, was lost at this point, but he fought on. This time, he threw a grenade in the midst of the two undamaged GMs, crippling one while stunning the other, and with that, Jake saw his last chance.  
  
General Nicolo grimaced as he saw a second squad stopped cold by the lone rebel GM. Every gun he had was now aimed at that lone rebel unit, to the protest of that idiotic Dolvich, but still it came on. And it was heading right for him.  
  
Jake forged on ahead even as the fire even grew denser than before, shredding his GM's torso and even causing some damage to the cockpit itself. But he was now in range, and he didn't hesitate.  
  
"This is for you Captain! This is for all of you!" Jake screamed as he locked the battleship into his sights. A volleys of shells were heading for her a moment later.  
  
Nicolo saw the shells come, and felt several explosions rock his battleship. But the Warspite was no ordinary ship, and would not succumb to such little damage. He ordered his men to fire on as he began to step away slowly, not intending to stay on the bridge for any longer than necessary...  
  
Jake screamed on as he fired every last bullet in his machine gun at the Warspite, peppering the old warship with explosions and damaging a turret. But to his shock, the Warspite was unscathed. Not one shot had penetrated her armor.  
  
Next, he tried his grenade, throwing it at the Warspite just before anti-aircraft fire lopped off his remaining arm and exploded his GM's mono-sensor. His GM began to power down as his GM took more hits, but then he saw huge blast as his grenade had struck true.  
  
And still, the Warspite remained, defiant as ever. Another turret was damaged, as was some of the superstructure, but the ship was still intact.  
  
And to Jake, now feeling shrapnel ripping through his body as more shells struck his now derelict GM, decided that there was only one thing left. But it had been a worthy fight, against a worthy ship. Win or lose, he realized, he had redeemed himself to his companions. And now, he would finally join them...  
  
Nicolo had cringed after the grenade had exploded on his ship, and had just begun to recover when he saw another sight that finally caused him to panic and lose his demeanor: It was the derelict rebel GM. And it was now on a collision course with his ship. He screamed for the anti-aircraft batteries to shoot harder even as he fled the bridge of his own ship.  
  
General Dolvich on the other hand, watched on in amazement as the still barely functioning GM began to head right towards the Warspite. An anti-aircraft gun scored a direct hit on its cockpit, but the GM went on. Unknown to Dolvich, the pilot had died at that point, his hand still firmly clutching the controls.  
  
And so Jake never did find out. He never did find out that his last strike had struck true. That his GM had smashed right into the Warspite and destroyed itself in a massive explosion as its reactors cooked off. An explosion that shook the Warspite down to her very core...  
  
But perhaps it was better that he had not known after all. Twenty-seven men had died on the Warspite that day, and four of her seven turrets were put out of action. But she remained intact, defiant as ever. Her famous namesake had endured two World Wars and hits from nearly every type of ordinance and survived. So would she. She and the spirit of those who had built and crewed her.  
-  
"Jake... damn it..." Horton whispered to himself as the firing finally subsided far behind him. The Federal Fleet had finally stopped firing, meaning they had finally killed their target: Jake. Damn!  
  
"I say old chap, I think you'd better give up now," a British voice suddenly suggested over the open communications channel, much to the surprise of Horton.  
  
"! We've been found again..." Picton started.  
  
Horton gritted his teeth. No! Not now! Not when freedom was only a few miles away and...  
  
"If you were hoping to get onboard the Helium 3 Carrier San Francisco Maru, then I think you had better think again," the voice continued as black-violet GM stood in front of their damaged machine, "She's currently being guarded by an entire Federation Task Force, and her skipper is already under our custody. I'm afraid that there is no escape for you now..."  
  
And with that Horton suddenly felt his heart sink. The San Francisco Maru HAD been the ticket out of here to get to Axis, and how the Feddies had found out now was beyond him. But now... there was no hope again. None certainly for Jake. None for him and Picton. Even none for Ming and Yun. It was really over...  
  
"I would really prefer not to shoot you, but if you don't surrender, I will be forced to do so," the voice warned, "Make the smart choice, soldier of Zeon."  
  
"Might as well end it now..." Picton decided.  
  
"Yeah..." Horton agreed, "I'm sorry..."  
-  
Oh I should have been expecting this... Hawkins thought as the rebel GM began to raise its machine gun towards him. Such a bloody waste...  
  
Horton thought that maybe he could at the very least take the Titans GM with him, but he never got the chance. Hawkins fired a shot long before he did, which punched a hole right through the GM's cockpit. Horton and Picton were both killed instantly.  
-  
Damn it... where? Ming thought as he kept moving. This was now a cat and mouse game, and he was the mouse. That damn b was good, never showing enough of herself to shoot at, never shooting unless ready... so much like that b sniper he had killed three years ago...  
  
But at least Jake and the others had probably gotten away. He had heard the alarm claxons go off a few seconds ago, indicating Jake had found a way to breach the airlocks. At least they were probably be safe now and...  
  
"How does it feel now to be the mouse, Captain?" the voice taunted, "Are you afraid now?"  
  
"Damn it! Why don't you come out then and fight honorably?!" Ming bellowed back.  
  
"Honor?" the voice asked, "What honor is there in war? It's only murder."  
  
"It's not murder!" Ming shotback, "It was for justice! It was for independence!"  
  
"Oh right..." Sylvie answered as she began to laugh, almost hysterically, before recovering and saying, "And just because one man decided that the whole world was a threat, all of you fools from Zeon decided to throw your lives away, using your "justice" and "independence" as perfect excuses. Fools."  
  
"And why don't you listen to yourself you B!" Ming growled back, "You're nothing but an insane monster! What do you know of the pain and suffering I've had to go through?"  
  
"Pain? I once felt that..." Sylvie answered, "When I was still a human being... When I still had a soul... Oh I tried... I tried hard to preserve my humanity... To keep it for those I loved..."  
  
"...And then YOU took him away..." Sylvie continued on, this time hate and spite now creeping into her voice, "You took away the only man I could ever love... Leaving me only with my pain... I tried to fight it... Hoping I could live my life again someday..."  
  
Ming now felt a chill go through his spine. Who WAS she?! Who the hell was she?! Some psychopath obsessed with killing him?! What was...  
  
"But I couldn't make the pain go away... I kept losing to it... So I just gave in to it... And I didn't care if it warped me into an evil monster anymore. At least the pain is gone..." Sylvie continued on, thoroughly enjoying tormenting Ming and releasing all the anger she had been carrying but could not release, until now... "And now here I am... A killing machine. Unable to love. Unable to find any hope. And I have only one purpose left: Your death..."  
  
"My death?" Ming shouted back, "What the hell are you talking about anyway?! What have I..."  
  
"Oh you poor blind fool..." Sylvie continued on as a wicked smile now played on her lips, "You don't even realize what you've done have you?"  
  
"What?!" Ming asked, now giving in to his frustration, still unable to find where she was hiding...  
  
"I'm a ghost that has come back to haunt you, Captain Ming Chow," Sylvie replied as she tightened her grip on the trigger and aimed right at the Quell's cockpit, "You took him away from me, and I died. But my mortal shell still lives on, trapping my soul and forcing me to live through my very own Hell. Trapped and warped me to be nothing more than a harbinger of death. And now the one who created me will now face my wrath. YOU."  
  
Ming now began to feel himself tremble. This was insane. In fact, he couldn't believe anymore that it was real... How? How could she have known him? How could he have made someone like her? Weren't people like her born in the Federation just to kill his countrymen? What was...  
  
The answer never came. Instead, Sylvie fired.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	20. Chapter 20: One's Path in Life

Chapter 20: One's Path in Life  
  
And in that split second, Sylvie thought that everything would finally change. That she would finally be able to let go of all the pain and hate that had now polluted her soul. That it would finally change with Ming's death...  
  
It didn't. At the last moment, Ming had managed raise his shield just in time, and her shots were once again fired in vain. And Ming was shooting back.  
  
I've got you now! Ming thought angrily as he spotted where the flashes had come from, firing his own volley in return. A small cloud of dirt appeared, but no explosion indicating a catastrophic kill.  
  
"You will still die, Ming..." the ghostly voice continued, now drifting ever more from sanity. A stream of shells suddenly struck Ming from the left, wrecking his shield and damaging part of the arm mechanism.  
  
But Ming wasn't about to give up, Sylvie saw, as he suddenly threw his own grenade at Sylvie. Sylvie dodged long before the grenade could explode, but Ming had already fired a follow-on volley in return, which found their mark and shredded the last of Sylvie's shield.  
  
And so, the two Mobile Suits, now lacking the protection their shields had once afforded, now stood in front of each other, weapons drawn once again. Both of their pilots were now breathing heavily. There was no margin of error left for either of them now. A hit meant death.  
  
And this time, Ming was the first to fire, strafing to the right as he let loose a volley at Sylvie's GM Custom. But Sylvie was prepared. More than prepared. Almost lazily, she dodged out of the way of the bullets and fired back, just barely nicking Ming's arm.  
  
Sylvie grinned slightly as she saw one of her shots finding their mark. The one controlling her was now overjoyed that it had only been a scratch hit. It just wouldn't be fun if Ming died quickly. The better he should suffer... slowly... and painfully...  
  
"Damn it!" Ming growled as he tried to fire back, only to see more shells heading towards him. This time he was less fortunate. All three shells had found their mark, severely damaging his left arm. The b wasn't just good, he reflected as he fired a volley that was easily avoided. She was being superhuman. She WAS like a ghost... a ghost trying to...  
  
"Come on Ming... fight me some more..." Sylvie's possessed voice continued, "Let me torture you some more... Let me make you suffer some more..."  
  
"Shut up!" Ming growled angrily as he tried to avoid the next set of shells heading towards him. One shell found its mark, very nearly puncturing one of his fuel tanks. He muttered a curse. She was better marksman than him. He'd never win in a long range firefight unless...  
  
"Does this hurt?" Sylvie suddenly asked as she fired another volley, this one just barely missing Ming's cockpit, "Because I hope it did..."  
  
"Damn..." Ming muttered on. The shells HAD missed him, but several of the cockpit monitors had exploded and showered him with razor sharp fragments. He cringed from the pain of the wounds but knew he had to ignore it. If he didn't...  
  
"What about this?" Sylvie asked as she began to laugh hysterically once again, this time exploding the Quell's head. A now distant part of her was now begging her to stop, but it would be of no avail. She would kill him. It was all that mattered.  
  
"I won't give up to a murderer like you!" Ming angrily shouted back as he aimed his machinegun and began to fire wildly, quickly going through his remaining ammunition...  
  
"Oh..." Sylvie replied mockingly as she easily evaded his wild shots while scoring hits of her own, "You're frustrated now... Good... Better to die with your mind in pain as well. You like what I'm doing to you, don't you? You love the way I slowly inch you towards your grave. Because I am loving every single moment of it..."  
  
"Shut up!" Ming screamed back as he emptied his clip, "I could never love anything from a monster like you!"  
  
"It takes a monster to make a monster, Ming..." Sylvie replied defiantly back as she aimed at Ming's now empty machine gun. Not a single one of his shots had found its mark. Four of hers did, leaving neat holes over the Quell's now damaged frame.  
  
"So be it, but I won't lose to you!" Ming screamed back as he suddenly threw his now empty machine gun right at Sylvie, sending it flying straight for her GM's monosensor...  
  
Which Sylvie almost lazily evaded. She was really loving this now, Sylvie realized. She was really loving killing people. She was now loving the torture she was inflicting on Ming... A part of her seemed to scream for herself to stop, but it was easily muted out by her now death obsessed soul, before being blotted out altogether. She faced Ming once again and prepared to fire...  
  
Only to see Ming charging her. And she fired. Again and again. Firing even as he got closer and closer...  
  
"Don't look down on me!" Ming screamed on as more shells ripped through his Mobile Suit. One shot finally broke his left arm in two, while two shells managed to pass through his fuel tanks without exploding. But he kept charging on... Not caring...  
  
And then Sylvie saw it. It was a second grenade clutched firmly in Ming's right hand. Sylvie tried to evade as Ming threw the grenade at her, but he was too close. Already far too close, and the grenade quickly began tumbling towards her...  
  
I got her! Ming thought as the grenade inched slowly towards the GM Custom's chest. I can do it... I promised Jake... I...  
  
But then, faster than he thought possible, the GM sidestepped out of the way, and the lone grenade just found itself flying through an empty field. An empty field... save for a lone vehicle suddenly motoring down its path...  
  
Oh ! Ming thought as he saw his grenade start arcing right for the vehicle. To his horror, he realized the vehicle was an ambulance, and...  
  
The ambulance tried to swerve out of the incoming grenade's path, but it was too late. The grenade exploded just beside it, sending the ambulance flying through the air before landing in a massive heap upside down... Ming trembled. Sandra... she couldn't have been in it... The chances were...  
  
But she was. Suddenly, a lone bloodied figure dragged herself out of the wreck. Her hair. Her beautiful face now set in a shocked expression. It was her... it was Sandra...  
  
"SANDRA!" Ming screamed as he began to motion towards her, only to see her drop down to the ground, a small pool of blood now spreading from her unmoving body. Ming couldn't move. He had just killed her... he had just.  
-  
It hurt... Sandra thought as she felt the life slowly draining away from her body. But I can't yet... I can't... Not while Ming...  
  
But the pain was simply too much, and she found herself drifting into the darkness.  
-  
"Oh? Was Sandra her name?" Sylvie mocked, "Too bad for you I guess. So much the better for me. Does it hurt even more now?"  
  
And in that instant, guilt turned to hate, and hate turned to sheer determination. Ming once again faced his tormentor and lighted his beam saber, before readying his stance...  
  
A stance Sylvie was also quick to follow. Throwing away her now empty machine gun, she had also produced her own beam saber. Unlike Max before her, she had trained extensively in the use of melee weapons as well, and now she was really going to have some fun. The thought of Ming being hacked to pieces simply felt so satisfying... So much so that she couldn't wait to plunge the blade down his heart...  
  
"Come on!" Ming growled back, "Let's end it now!"  
  
"Oh wait now... I'm not done torturing you yet..." Sylvie replied as she began to laugh once again, "Take this!"  
  
And then Ming saw it come. Sylvie's first thrust of their duel. Ming had just barely managed to side step out of the way, but a part of his torso had been scorched by the incoming blade. Sylvie then began to withdraw her saber to slash him again, but this time Ming had managed to bring his own saber to bear, parrying Sylvie's determined attack.  
  
"Not bad, but I won't let you go so easily..." Sylvie continued on as she began to slash madly at Ming, laughing as she did so as Ming's GM Quell slowly came apart around him. She slashed on and on, being blocked consummately by the desperate Ming, but with every slash she took he felt more of his strength draining away, and if he didn't stop her soon...  
  
"Die! Die!" Sylvie said on as she continued her maniacal laughter and her determined attack on Ming. She slashed Ming on and on, causing ever more damage even as Ming tried to block with his own saber...  
  
But then, Ming took a chance. Just as Sylvie's saber started to come down again Ming changed his stance and began to thrust his saber. Sylvie, surprised, tried to evade even as he own saber began to rip through Ming's GM, but to no avail. He was too close, and even she was not fast enough to stop him. Knowing that death was probably only seconds away, Sylvie continued to apply force to her own attack as well, slicing the Quell torso slowly towards its cockpit, very willing to die as long as she could take Ming with her...  
  
Ming knew that his GM was now being slowly sliced in half, but he ignored it entirely. At least this way Sandra would be avenged. He aimed right for the Custom's cockpit and began to thrust his saber right for it...  
  
And at the same time, both pilots closed their eyes. They knew it was over for both of them. And the world around them would soon be on fire...  
  
And so it came as the greatest surprise when Ming felt himself open his eyes once again.  
  
He was alive. He was really alive. He looked at the ceiling right above him. It was glowing red, but the saber had failed to penetrate his cockpit. He was still alive.  
  
And his Mobile Suit was on the ground, now lying right on top of the enemy Mobile suit and pinning it to the ground. The force of his thrust must have carried the both down to the ground and...  
  
He had missed. The cockpit of the GM Custom was still intact.  
  
Ming growled as he realized that crazy Federal b was still alive, but the GM Custom seemed to be unmoving, so perhaps she was dead or unconscious after all. Not that he could do anything about it now. Both of their Mobile Suits were out of power.  
  
And then another thought entered Ming's mind: Sandra. He had to...  
  
And so, Ming quickly began to pry the cockpit's hatch open, which he did only after much pain and difficulty, thanks to his many bodily injuries. But there was just enough space between the two Mobile Suits for him to pry the hatch open, and he quickly managed to squeeze out of the now bloody cockpit, before jumping down to the ground and running towards the ruined ambulance.  
  
And what he saw made him sick down to his stomach. The driver's body was still in the wrecked ambulance, missing several appendages and his head. But what made him feel worse was Sandra, a few feet away and lying on the ground, her once white coat now red with her blood...  
  
And he rushed towards her, gently holding her up and feeling for her pulse. It was still there, but growing ever fainter. He called out for her name.  
-  
Sandra? Who's calling me? Sandra thought as her mind began to feel as though the darkness had begun to envelop her. Who was it? Who...?  
  
Ming... Sandra realized. It was Ming.  
-  
"Sandra?" Ming asked, overjoyed as he saw Sandra slowly blinking her eyes open. He immediately felt tears well up in his eyes... She was alive... there was still hope... she could...  
  
"Ming? Is... that..." Sandra started weakly.  
  
"Sandra, don't talk," Ming replied, "It'll be alright. It'll be..."  
  
"I can't make it Ming..." Sandra replied as her voice grew even weaker, "I'm going to... going to die... very... soon... I must..."  
  
"Sandra... no, you won't die!" Ming protested, "I won't..."  
  
"Promise... that... you... won't kill... Won't be... a... murderer..." Sandra stammered on as she felt more blood gush out of her body, even as Ming's warm arms tried to stop the bleeding. She herself crying as she felt Ming's tears from on her cheeks. He really did love her, but there was no way she could love him back... She could only show him what his hate would bring, and if he didn't learn that...  
  
"I promise Sandra... I promise..." Ming assured as he desperately took Sandra's hand, "Please, just don't die... I could never forgive myself if..."  
  
"Not... your... fault..." Sandra replied as she felt more tears well up, "I'll... I'll be the last... The last one you will kill..."  
  
"Sandra... please..." Ming pleaded. No... don't die... I'd rather die than to see her die. She had such a pure heart despite all her pain, and now...  
  
No! This wasn't fair... I should...  
  
"Ming, our fight isn't over yet..." an entirely different female voice suddenly declared. Ming turned around and finally saw her face to face: It was her. That Federal pilot who had made it her mission to kill him. And she carried a gun.  
  
Sylvie grinned in the most vile way she could manage as she aimed her pistol at Ming's head. The last frantic calls of her former self to stop had now come and gone. She had now purged herself of such weaknesses. There was no hesitation as she pulled the trigger.  
  
Ming didn't move as the bullet started to streak towards his head. He just stared on, knowing that death would come very soon...  
  
But Sandra did move. And with the last of her strength, she performed the last selfless act in what had been a life filled with selfless acts. She threw herself over Ming, taking the bullet meant for him with her own body. She screamed as she felt the last bullet rip through her body, before vomiting a pint of blood. And then, there was only silence.  
  
Ming only stared at Sandra for a moment, before an indescribable rage begin to fill his heart. He reached for his pockets and produced a pistol, slowly bringing it to bear at the one who had caused him all this torment: Captain Sylvie Gressiere.  
  
And Sylvie, was only too happy to shoot again. The part of her that once weeped for those innocents who had died was now gone. Taken away and warped by her hate which was finally let out this day. And so she fired, sending a second bullet heading straight for Ming...  
  
But this time, it was Ming who dodged this bullet, but just barely, as the bullet did graze his arm. But he shot back, and Sylvie was too surprised to avoid...  
  
And so, bullet after bullet struck Sylvie's body. One struck her in the shoulder, while another struck her in the abdomen and made her drop to her knees. Even as she yelped out in pain Ming fired at her, hitting her leg and collapsing her to the ground. As she tried to stand up to fight despite her wounded body, Ming mercilessly fired again, the shot ripping through one of her lungs.  
  
And then it stopped. Stopped as Ming paused to stand right over her. Sylvie felt her blood start gushing out of her body, and her world seemed to slowly turn black. The pain was now unbearable, and she knew that she had failed again. She had failed Max again, and now she would never see him again. She had given up everything, even her own soul, just to avenge him, but it had still not been enough. And despite his pledge, he would never forgive her for that... For being such a useless b... She then cringed as she felt Ming lay something cold in the back of her head. She knew it to be the barrel of the gun.  
  
Shoot me... a part of Sylvie begged. For pity's sake shoot me... I don't want to be like this... I don't want to be a murderer... I don't want to be a harbinger of death. I don't know what I've done to myself, but I don't want to stay like this any further. Please kill me Ming. Let me share the same fate as Max... If I stay like this, the part of me that's a killer will be back, and I can't stop her anymore... She'll just come and torment me again until I willingly give in to her wishes, and I'll just kill and kill until my soul will be beyond redemption. Kill and kill until any chance for me to be human again will be gone. Kill until I'll be her slave forever. Kill me now before I become that... While I still have something called hope... Please...  
  
Ming almost grinned as he felt himself increase the pressure on the trigger, until he saw something that completely change his mind, and destiny, forever. It was Sandra. She was still alive.  
  
"You... you..." Sandra started.  
  
"Sandra?" Ming asked as he rushed towards her once again, "Sandra, are you..."  
  
"You haven't changed at all..." Sandra finished before Ming could hold her again, "You're still a killer. You still haven't learned... You..."  
  
"Sandra... no... don't..." Ming started.  
  
"It... it wasn't enough..." Sandra continued on as she began to cry, not listening to what Ming was saying anymore, "What I did wasn't enough... Now... I can't ever... Smith..."  
  
"Sandra..." Ming started, wanting to take another step towards Sandra to comfort her, even if just a little, in her last moments. But she didn't want his comfort anymore. All she cared about now, he realized, that she had failed him... and that she was never going to be able to redeem herself to all of her loved ones... and... and...  
  
Then Sandra reached for her coat again and found the picture that she had kept for so long, holding all of those she had loved so dear. It was now soaked in blood, but Sandra still looked at it with a smile on her lips. As if she was trying to remember them all... one last time...  
  
And then she looked up at the sky, before closing her eyes and holding the picture close to her heart. She weeped on quietly, alone. She tried to smile again, for all of them, just once more... But she couldn't. The only thing she could think of now was her failures. And how she could never forgive herself now... Forgive herself for the one thing she had done wrong in her life.  
  
Finally, she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Despite all of her hope, despite of her own wishes, she still wanted to be with them. But she couldn't. She could never let herself be with them again. Not with all the unresolved guilt that would now haunt her forever...  
  
"Sandra.. please..." Ming begged as he saw Sandra breakdown. He didn't want this to happen. He didn't want her to die this way. Now, all that she could think of was that she'd be alone forever, that the ones she loved would never be with her again... she...  
  
But it was too late. Sandra started walking down the slow, painful road to her death thinking that there was no hope left for her soul.  
-  
"This is reckless..." Jefferson warned as they finally got out of the dock area undetected, though he was relieved that he had not died by decompression as he had feared.  
  
"But now, we can search for Ming..." Estella replied more enthusiastically, "All we need to do now is to find him and..."  
  
"Oh my God..." Jefferson interrupted as he saw the sole standing figure beside the two wrecked GMs right in front of him, "It's him. It's Ming..."  
-  
Ming just stared at Sandra's body, dumbfounded. It was all his fault... She had died without hope because of him... All for what? Independence? What had he been fighting for all along?  
  
That Federal b Ming remembered. She caused this... she deserved to...  
  
I'm a ghost that has come back to haunt you Ming... a ghostly voice reminded.  
  
No... she didn't... Ming realized as he turned and looked at the Federal Captain's now pained face. She wasn't speaking, but her eyes were different now. They were filled with sadness. It looked as if she was begging to die... And...  
  
And she looked just like Sandra... Ming realized as his stomach tied itself into a tight knot. She looked just like Sandra when she told me her story. Of all the loss she had to go through, of all the...  
  
You took away the only man I could ever love... a voice reminded.  
  
And I realized all I did was make another copy of myself... another voice reminded.  
  
Oh God... Ming realized. I've been... I've been making people like Sandra all along... I've been causing so much pain in others and never realized it... I killed even those who could have been spared... I... I...  
  
I'm a murderer... I'm a monster... They were all right... It was true...  
  
Ming began to aim his gun at himself. This was the only just punishment. For one who had caused all of this pain and...  
  
"Ming! Stop! What the hell?!" a familiar voice started.  
  
Jefferson? Ming thought Here?  
  
"Ming!" Jefferson shouted as he grabbed the gun from Ming's hand, "What in God's name were you thinking?!"  
  
"Jefferson sir I..." Ming started, dazed.  
  
"Come on! Let's get out of here now!" Estella ordered angrily as he began to drag Ming away.  
  
Yun... Ming remembered. I have to make sure...  
  
"Sir! Are you alright?!" a familiar voice shouted. It was the young Zeon private, who had made it after all...  
  
"Who are you?!" Jefferson asked as he pointed the gun at Yun.  
  
"A friend..." Ming answered quietly as he took one last look at Sandra, "If we're going... then let's go now..."  
-  
Kill me... Sylvie thought on. Please...  
  
But the bullet never came. Ming had already left long ago.  
  
No... she thought on. Please... don't before...  
  
And then she felt it coming back. That urge of hers to kill. She was too weak to move, but the urge was there, cursing Ming for beating her and...  
  
And there was another still out there... Sylvie realized. Another one in pain... Another who was in deeper pain than her... How could?  
  
No hope... Sylvie thought. She also felt that there was no hope... just like herself... Was she the one Ming had called Sandra? Was she?  
  
And then the killer in her began to encroach upon her once again, relentless in its desire to kill...  
  
She's dying... Sylvie realized, not knowing how she could know. She's dying without hope and...  
  
No... I can't let her die like that... Sylvie decided as she felt the killing side of her reared its ugly head again. I can't.  
-  
I'm going to be alone now... Sandra thought on as she felt the last vestiges of her life slowly fade into darkness. Smith... I...  
  
I'm here... I've been waiting... a ghostly voice told her.  
  
Smith?  
-  
Satisfied? The murderous side of Sylvie Gressiere asked.  
  
Yes... Sylvie replied as she felt the pain of the other one finally subside. The last gift of her humanity. I... I guess... It's over for me now, isn't it? You're going to lock me away forever...  
  
Oh yes... I will...  
  
Please... don't... no.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
-  
The final Epilogue will appear soon. 


	21. Epilogue: Ends and Beginnings

Epilogue: Ends and Beginnings  
  
December 16, UC 0083 Bunch 7 Colony, Side 2  
  
"Oh bloody hell, what has that General Nicolo done to the Warspite now?" Hawkins declared as he began to survey the damage around the namesake of the most honored ships in the history of the Royal Navy. And one that had been designed and built by a very competent and kind-hearted cousin of his. The late Commodore Megan Hawkins.  
  
"A GM kamikazed its way into the ship yesterday sir," an engineer reported, "Most of the bridge crew was killed, but General Nicolo managed to get out just in time. She was pretty lucky she didn't go down."  
  
"It's not luck my good man," Hawkins explained, though wishing Nicolo HAD been fried for causing such damage to his late cousin's proudest creation, "It was sound technical engineering that saved this ship. How did you say she was damaged again?"  
  
"By a kamikaze attack sir," the engineer repeated, "The Zeon pilot smashed a badly wrecked GM into her, before cooking off the reactors..."  
  
"Well then he was one very brave and gutsy Zeek," Hawkins observed sincerely, "And he's making me wish he was a bit more successful. Pity he was on the other side. Where's the General anyway?"  
  
"Meeting with Major Dolvich sir," the engineer answered.  
  
"Oh? Meeting with that lovely Major?" Hawkins asked, "Well, I hope he has a good time..."  
-  
Major Dolvich was thoroughly enjoying this. So were Ivan and the rest of the staff. Not only had the messenger been a gallant and chivalrous gentleman, but his message was even better. It was a message for General Nicolo, and an embarrassing one for the General at that.  
  
"Jamitov..." Nicolo muttered angrily. His plans had been foiled again. By that worthless...  
  
"Well sir, I believe you and your fleet should be leaving Side 2 now?" the Major asked.  
  
"Very well..." Nicolo muttered back, "Orders are orders. But don't think that I'll approve of the decorations they are giving you and all of your..."  
  
"Sir, don't worry about it, alright?" the Major replied pleasantly, knowing Nicolo must be wanting to tear her to pieces at the moment, "I believe you may need some catching up to do on your new R&D job, don't you?"  
  
Nicolo looked as if he would really like to strangle Natalie now, but controlled himself and decided to turn around to leave. Research and Development he thought angrily... Of what? Freak technologies? That was the type of job that killed careers...  
  
Natalie smiled on as Nicolo finally left her command tent. At least that Nicolo was now assigned to a mundane post and could not hurt military operations anymore. Better yet, those who had performed most admirably in the battles for the past two days have been justly rewarded. However, there was still one she needed to meet with. One to whom decorations had always held no meaning.  
-  
"Jin? You okay?" Terry asked as he slowly rose from his bed and saw his teammate lying in a bed beside him. Jin wasn't as badly wounded as he, thanks to the Chobham armor that had saved his life, but there was something wrong with him. He looked enormously depressed somehow, and...  
  
"Yeah... don't worry..." Jin replied with no emotion in his voice, "Just... just give me some time alone..."  
-  
I've lost now... Sylvie thought on. Lost to both of them... Somebody... just...  
  
Damn it no! Sylvie thought as she felt that other side of her creeping up again. She'd already lost the first round, and she was now coming back to finish her off... Please... no...  
  
Oh come on now Sylvie... We've already been through this. You're mine now...  
  
No... I can't let you... I can't...  
  
And I'll make sure I keep you around for a LONG time Sylvie. You shouldn't have ignored a ghost like me lurking within you Sylvie, pretending that I never existed... And now I'll turn you into a ghost as well... Just like you were meant to be...  
  
Stop! Please... Just kill me...  
  
Oh you won't die... I'm pretty sure of that now. And with your talent I can make sure that you won't die anytime soon. And I can do what I've been made for... Killing...  
  
No! Damn it... I can't let you kill anymore... It's not right... it's...  
  
Oh come now... don't tell me you didn't enjoy it? The killing? That feeling of being in control. That feeling that you could defy Fate itself with the push of a trigger...  
  
No! How can I... How can I enjoy something that makes others suffer? How can I...?  
  
Oh? So you would rather suffer and lock it all away in yourself? Is that what you want?  
  
Yes... I deserve it anyway. All I've done in my life was to bring pain to those who loved me. I'd rather rot on for eternity than do what you asked...  
  
Really? Don't you know that's what's wrong with you Sylvie? You always deny who you really are...  
  
Who am I then?! Who... who have I been for all these years?! Who have I been ever since he died and I became alone?! Who...  
  
Oh my... you don't even realize it do you? You don't even know why you created me did you?  
  
Created you? How did I?  
  
Time to lock you away and give you the pain you said you deserved. Oh don't worry. I'll come see you from time to time... Just to make it hurt a little bit more. And to see you rot and get twisted by your pain. And to see if you're ready to give all of yourself to me... If you're finally ready to be who you really are...  
  
Stop... Please... Stop... It hurts so much already... Anymore and... I can't... I'll be...  
  
Just like me. Very soon...  
  
"Hello Captain, are you doing better now?" a familiar voice asked. Sylvie then felt a figure standing right beside her bed.  
  
Oh? Is that Major Natalie I hear...? Perfect...  
  
Please... don't. Rip me apart if you wish, but leave her out of this. She's not...  
  
Oh fine, fine... I'll just let you handle this. Just get ready to say your good-byes though, because I doubt you'll still be around the next time she comes around...  
  
Don't think I'll give in to you so easily...  
  
Why even try? You know you'll lose to me. I've already taken everything that matters to you. Why don't you just say your good byes and give up now? It will be less painful...  
  
"Sylvie? Are you alright?" the Major asked as she realized Sylvie was still not waking up, wondering if...  
  
"Na... Natalie?" Sylvie managed to say outloud as her eyes fluttered open, now feeling the pain start ripping through her again. Tormenting her mind and body...  
  
"Hi Sylvie..." the Major replied with a sigh of relief, "I was just passing by to see how you're doing, but I guess you still need your sleep and..."  
  
"No... I'm alright now..." Sylvie replied as she tried to smile to reassure her friend, only to find that the other part of her was keeping her from doing so. That part of her had already taken away her happiness, and she could only cringe at what she would take next...  
  
"Are you sure?" Natalie asked, "You still look a little out of yourself Sylvie. Maybe you should rest some more?"  
  
"No, I'm fine. Really," Sylvie replied defiantly, doing her best to keep the other side of her at bay, "I think I might be able to get out of here soon..."  
  
"Well, I think I'm a bit relieved now..." Natalie replied, though still bugged by the change in Sylvie. Something was wrong with her. Very wrong... As if she was now fighting something that only she could see... "But remember that if you need anything..."  
  
Death... Please just give me that....  
  
Oh no... I already told you. I won't let you die so easily...  
  
"Yes..." Sylvie interrupted before Natalie could finish, "Natalie... There is one thing you... you could do for me..."  
  
Oh no... I won't let you do that... Let her suffer the same fate as yours... I've already let you save that other one from her own pain, I won't let you...  
  
"Talk to your dad Natalie..." Sylvie continued on even as the pain in her head became unbearable, "Talk to him... Or you might just regret not doing it for the rest of your life..."  
  
"Sylvie?" Natalie asked as she saw Sylvie's eyes. They were haunting ones now. Beckoning her to do what she asked, as if it was the last thing she could do... She wasn't thinking she was dying was she? Was she...  
  
Damn you... Stop it! I won't let you do any more of your charity work... You're going to be doing what I say or...  
  
"Because regret is the only thing in my heart now Natalie..." Sylvie continued as she ignored the pain now overcoming her, drawing her slowly into unconsciousness, "Because I never told him that despite everything... I was proud to be his daughter... That I loved him and that I... I..."  
  
"...that I'll always be his daughter... That part of me will always be his little girl... no matter what..."  
  
And that surprised Sylvie. She wasn't the one saying that line. It was the other her. The part of her she thought could never...  
  
"Sylvie?" Natalie asked as she looked at Sylvie's now pleading face. How could... how could she say no? "I... I'm not sure if I can..."  
  
"Just try... Please..." Sylvie managed to finish, just before she felt the weight in her eyelids grow, and she felt herself once again being drawn into the darkness...  
  
Why? Why did you just say what you did? Why did you help me tell that to her about her dad?  
  
Just to satisfy you, you poor miserable soul. Now are you ready to join me? To become me?  
  
No... I won't... I won't unless...  
  
Unless?  
  
Unless you let me keep my conscience... Unless you let me keep my ability to tell right or wrong...  
  
Why?  
  
So that even if I do become an emissary of death, maybe at least it would be for some reason... for some purpose for the greater good... So that even if I'm cursed by the blood on my hands forever at least a few others...  
  
You just love to make yourself suffer, don't you?  
  
Why not? It's all I've been able to make others feel...  
  
You're a fool Sylvie. And what about the rest of you? What shall I do with it?  
  
I... I don't mind if you just leave me an empty shell... I know I can't ever love again, and I don't deserve the love of those who had loved me in the past anyway. I don't mind feeling numb forever... Devoid of any feeling... of any warmth... of any hope... I'll be your killing machine... Just don't make me kill those who don't deserve that fate...  
  
Fine then Sylvie... I'll leave you that little part of yourself. Are you ready to give yourself up now?  
  
And then there was a pause. A pause as Sylvie Gressiere, once a proud young woman but now left a hollow, twisted wreck by the war that had taken everything she had held dear, contemplated her fate. Before answering...  
  
Yes...  
  
The pain that followed was far beyond anything she had thought.  
-  
"Sylvie! Hey, Sylvie!" Natalie shouted worriedly as she realized Sylvie had just become unconscious once again. What was wrong with her? Why did she say that? Why?  
  
"Mam, I think you'd better leave her now," a doctor advised, "She's still tired and in poor health. Rest is what she desperately needs right now..."  
  
Natalie grimaced and bit her lip, but decided to follow the doctor's advice. Sylvie's face had slowly begun to relax itself, as if she was now feeling a bit better. Maybe she was finally having some peace of mind? Maybe...  
  
Talk to your dad Natalie...  
  
Talk to him? Why? Why did she want me to...?  
  
"Is the Yamashiro still in the area?" Major Dolvich suddenly inquired.  
  
"No mam," an aide replied, "Her battlegroup left two hours ago for Side 1. She'll get there in a few hours, is there something you need from her mam?"  
  
"No... not really..." the Major replied as she shook her head. Damn. He was gone again. Just like all those times when she was just a little girl... damn him...  
  
But... Natalie thought as she felt defeated, I DO want to talk to him. I've wanted to do so for so long and...  
  
Natalie then began to head towards her office. Maybe there was some way she could find some time in her schedule.  
-  
"Finally..." Estella breathed out in relief as Bunch 7 rapidly disappeared from view. It had taken three harrowing near misses, but they had finally managed to get out of that damn colony. And carrying two very important people with them...  
  
"Estella... about interviewing those two..." Jefferson started.  
  
"I'm starting with them now!" Estella declared. Finally, she thought, she'd get her chance...  
  
"Well, I suggest you don't talk to that Yun kid," Herbert advised, "It turns out he wasn't part of the Delaz Fleet's attack on the Naval Review. In fact, he wasn't even in the damn army at all. He was just a kid they recruited from Side 6, and now he's crying and fussing over like a little kid..."  
  
Jefferson grimaced at that. How many others had been like him? So enthusiastic for war only to find out the truth...  
  
"All I want to do is to talk to Ming anyway," Estella replied quickly, "And I'm going to talk to him now, catatonic state or not..."  
-  
Ming looked on at the empty space in front of him. He could see Sandra there, sobbing. All she had now was her lone picture of her loved ones. Nothing else. Nothing more. And she'd be that way forever... all because of him. All because he'd been a fool who refused to believe her... I'm such a... I'm such a...  
  
"Ming, ready to talk now?" Estella asked as she entered his room, Jefferson close behind her.  
  
"Leave me alone..." Ming muttered in reply. Or shoot me already, and preferably the latter, he didn't add.  
  
"Ming... it might be better if you do talk..." Jefferson advised. Talking did help. But men hated doing it. It was often seen as a sign of weakness. And Ming was no exception.  
  
Ming scowled, but slumped his shoulders and nodded, "What do you want anyway?"  
  
"Ming... about the attack on the Naval Review on the tenth of November..." Estella started.  
  
"What about it?" Ming asked tiredly, disgusted at how great he had felt after their "victory" there.  
  
"Ming, I need details..." Estella explained, "I need details on your victory there..."  
  
"Who cares?" Ming asked on, getting annoyed at her pointless questions.  
  
"A LOT of people do Ming," Estella began to reply more testily, "A LOT of people who've wanted nothing but the freedom of their homelands and..."  
  
Ming turned to face Estella eye to eye, anger clearly in his face. As if he was about to kill Estella for... "Freedom? What do you know about freedom?"  
  
"Ming..." Jefferson warned, "If you don't want to talk about it..."  
  
"No Arnold, I'm fine," Ming replied, "So... A lot of people want to know?"  
  
"Yes, they want to know the truth after all the lies the Federation has..." Estella started.  
  
"Tell them this, because this is the truth," Ming replied as his voice lowered and became more solemn, "Everything that we've done for the past four years. Everything that we've thought to be the true glory of Zeon... All of our great "victories" and achievements..."  
  
"...It's all a lie. We based our glory on the blood of the innocents. We fought enemies who were created by our own greed. We WERE the murderers and monsters and never realized it, letting our pride blind us to that fact. We were never right in the war three years past. We were wrong."  
  
"Ming..." Estella started, unable to react to Ming's words.  
  
"I don't know how many Sandras I've made in my lifetime," Ming continued on as tears now began to form in his eyes, "And I don't know how many monsters I've created that will come back to haunt me. All I do know is, that no matter how you look at it, it IS my fault. It IS our fault... Because we never had the courage to say no to those who used us when we could all see what we were doing was wrong... and finally... I've come to realize that..."  
  
And then Ming reached into his pocket and pulled out the insignia that he had once worn proudly. An insignia that had denoted that he was a Captain of the Principality of Zeon. An insignia that Jefferson had kept for him for the past three years...  
  
...And he tore it apart. And on that day, on this moment, everything did change for Ming Chow. No longer a soldier for his once proud nation. Now only a grieving soul, trying to find redemption...  
  
"So... Ming... Do you understand now?" Jefferson asked, "Do you know now why...?"  
  
"Yes Arnold..." Ming replied with a solemn nod, before blinking away his tears, "But I learned too late... I learned too late... And now... She... And I..."  
  
"Estella, leave us now, alright?" Jefferson asked as he put his hand over Ming's shoulder. Ming would have more crying to do. But he had finally seen the light. A light that had set him free from his terrible curse.  
  
And now, Ming could finally walk down a path. A path, no longer laid down to him by others. Rather a path, that he could now call his own.  
  
Delaz's crusade has finally come to an end.  
  
The End  
Thanks to all the readers of this fic and all of your comments:-). Please feel free to post or mail any final comments on the fic.  
-  
Coming Soon:  
  
Universal Century 0087:  
  
Delaz's crusade may have ended, but his legacy still remains.  
-  
"The seeds we have sown seven years ago have now born fruit. And it is us who must now deal with our bitter harvest..."  
-  
A legacy of war. A war that would consume the lives of millions.  
-  
"Oh my God... Did that light just come from the Gryps?!"  
-  
And a war that would ask so few.  
-  
"Is this it?"  
  
"Yes, and we have to hold the line, no matter what..."  
-  
To rise above the coming darkness.  
-  
"It's Captain Quattro sir! He made it! He's at Dakar!"  
-  
And to do so much.  
-  
"A ghost... A Valkyrie... A mistress of Death. I've been called all of these names. But it won't matter to all of you anymore. Because none of you shall live past this day..."  
-  
For so many others.  
-  
"The Aghama! She's here!"  
  
"Mommy... what the Aghama? What are those men talking about?"  
  
"A ship my son... A ship of hope..."  
-  
It is Universal Century 0087. The second great war was about to begin.  
-  
Mobile Suit Gundam 0087: Warriors in the Shadows.  
Coming in November.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


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